Love Doesn't Come Smoothly
by Vfanforlife
Summary: Troy and Gabriella hate each other. He is the egotistic basketball player while she is the influential brainiac. When thrown into a dangerous situation together, can he overcome his ego and can she overcome her hatred in order to work together and survive
1. Trailer and Summary

Summary

**AN: Well, the idea for this story came to me and I just wanted to get the trailer and summary out to see what you guys think! I will most likely be starting this story when I finish "I'll Never Leave You" but I might begin it before then. I will most definitely, not matter if "I'll Never Leave You" is finished or not, begin writing and posting chapters before September. So anyway, please tell me what you think! If more and more people want me to begin this, then I may start it even sooner! **

**Summary**

Troy and Gabriella hate each other, Him being the egotistic basketball player and she being the influential brainiac. They each have their own group of followers. What happens when the two are put into a dangerous situation, and they must learn to work together to save themselves? Will Troy look over his selfish ways to protect her? Will she let go and forget all of the past bullying he has caused her? Will love blossom between the basketball boy and the brainiac?

TrailerThey were enemies

"Do you always have to be such an egotistic freak?"

"At least I'm not a nerdy slut."

Dividing the School into Two

Shows the Cafeteria divided

He was the egotistic basketball player

"I mean really, who wouldn't love me? I'm perfect:

**She was the influential Brainiac**

Shows Gabriella teaching students how to properly mix chemicals

But When thrown into a dangerous situation

_**Can they learn to work together?**_

"Troy, what are we going to do?"

"We'll get out of here together, I promise."

Will love Blossom?

Shows Troy leaning in to Kiss Gabriella

_**And Will They Survive?**_

_**Starring:**_

_**Zac Efron as Troy Bolton**_

_**Vanessa Hudgens as Gabriella Montez**_

_**Ashley Tisdale as Sharpay Evans**_

_**Lucas Grabeel as Ryan Evans**_

_**Corbin Bleu as Chad Danforth**_

_**Monique Coleman as Taylor McKessie**_

_**In…**_

_**Love Doesn't Come Smoothly**_


	2. The Two Sides of the School

Chapter 1 – The Two Sides of the School

**AN: Well, here it is, the anticipated first chapter of the story. I don't know how often I will be updating once school starts, but I know that I will try an update as much as possible (unfortunately, my school gives very heavy homework loads). Hopefully i can get the next chapter up in the next week. I'll also be working on updating my other stories!**

**  
Anyway, please review and tell me what you think of the first chapter! I really want to know if you think I started off the story well. **

--

**Troy's P.O.V**

Golden Boy and East High's Prince. These were some of the titles that I had. I was the basketball captain of East High. I also had every girl turning her attention to me as I walked by the hallway. My name is Troy Bolton, my father being the famous Jack Bolton, former Lakers' player and now coach at East High. I ruled half the school.

You might be wondering, why only half. Well you see, the other half belongs to East High's Princess. She was a brainiac, and I didn't understand how she ruled the other half. I'll admit she was beautiful, and probably her background had something to do with it. Her name is Gabriella Montez, daughter of the late Greg Montez, who was a world-famous actor. Unfortunately he died of a heart attack when Gabriella was fairly young. Gabriella was also the best dancer in the school, landing her the position of the captain of the dance team.

You may be wondering why East High's prince and Princess don't get along. You also may be expecting a very long answer as to why as well. Well unfortunately, the answer is quite simple. She bumped into me on her first day of school.

I might sound like a bully and a jerk, but here's how it really started…

Flashback

_I was standing at my locker, all my teammates surrounding me. We were all talking about our Christmas Holidays. I turned around and was about to walk towards homeroom when I felt something crash into my side. I turned to see a petite brunette on the floor, books scattered around her. She quickly picked up her books and stood up._

"_Watch where you're going, newbie." She looked at me confused, before I saw a glint of anger pass through her eyes._

"_Who do you think you are, talking to me like that."_

"_You don't know who I am then?"_

"_An egotistical freak intent of bullying others?"_

"_Nice try. I'm Troy Bolton, captain of the basketball team, son of the famous Jack Bolton and ruler of the school." I smirked at her, and was surprised to see that she smirked back._

"_Yeah? Well I'm Gabriella Montez, daughter of the famous Greg Montez and smarter that you'll ever be."_

"_Oh, a nerd. I see. What else do you do, read to the blind?"_

"_I'm a dancer, for your information. Then again, your probably don't know how to dance for your life." She smirked at me. She was really getting on my nerves._

"_Listen here, newbie. I'm going to let you off the hook for today, but you better not mess with me again, or there will be consequences."_

"_What you gonna do, go to your daddy?" _

"_You know what, fine. You want to fight me? Get ready for the fight of a lifetime!"_

End of Flashback

That was the beginning of a very large fight. At first, me and my basketball friends bullied Gabriella, and most of the school went along with it, except for her friends Sharpay Evans, the Drama Queen, and Taylor McKessie, the nerd. Soon though, news of Gabriella's father and her dancing ability landed her more friends and the role of captain of the dance team. More and more people began to start following Gabriella and detesting me for being mean to her. Though our followers didn't really fight or follow us around, never the less openly talk about their dislike for either Gabriella or me, they just showed their support by either not attending basketball games in Gabriella's case or not attending dance competitions in Troy's case. Gabriella was no longer the shy smart girl, but a sexy, confident girl. She started dressing better and acting more confidently, yet her brains still remained. The ongoing battle between us had been continuously going on for three years AN: Gabriella moved to East High in Freshman Year, to the point where the school is completely divided in half between us.

And that is where I stand right now, three years to the day when Gabriella first arrived at the school.

--

"Hey man, what's up?" I turned around to see Chad Danforth, my right hand man, along with the rest of the basketball team, crowding around me.

"Not much dude, not much."

"Can you believe it? We only have half a year left and we'll be in college!" Zeke Baylor, defender on the team and secret chef, commented.

"I know, and then we'll be rid of this place, especially the Montez followers." Jason Cross commented. Everyone knew that the Bolton Followers and Montez followers never mingled.

"Speaking of the devil." Chad said. I turned to where he was looking, to see the main doors of East High open. Through them strutted Gabriella Montez herself, long hair flowing behind her. She was wearing skinny jeans and black pumps, along with a flowing, teal silk top. Her eyes had a little makeup. She was beautiful, and hot, but all her bad qualities would take over this one good quality. Following behind Gabriella were her closest friends, also known and the Montez Minions AN: Troy's supporters only call them that. Troy's teammates are Bolton's Bastards in Gabriella's eyes. To Gabriella's immediate right was Sharpay Evans, wearing a pink dress and matching pink pumps. To Gabriella's right was Taylor McKessie, used to be shy girl who now had the courage of a tiger. She was wearing a simple skirt and blouse. Behind Gabriella walked the rest of her minions, mostly made up of her dance team. This included Amanda Wright, Shelby Connors, Samantha Walker and others. These were girls that did not like to be controlled by guys. It was no coincidence that there were no cheerleaders on Gabriella's side.

As Gabriella continued to walk down the hall, she approached her locked, which was across the hallway from mine. The teachers evidently didn't know of the rivalry going on between us two.

"Aww, look what the cat dragged in." I taunted. She turned around and looked at me with a smirk.

"Now, now Bolton. Wouldn't want to start the New Year off badly, would you?" She said sweetly.

"It already did, when you walked through that door." A crowd of the students were gathering, all interested in seeing the first fight of the year between Gabriella and me. Gabriella neared me with her minions following close behind.

"You know Bolton, I think I've heard that one before. Used it last year, did you?" Her minions giggled.

"Only you would remember, right? Hasn't your brain exploded from all that knowledge yet?" I questioned.

"Just because yours is the size of a peanut, doesn't mean that mine is." She replied smartly. My blood was beginning to boil. Before I could come back with something good, the warning-bell for first period rang through the halls. There was a silent agreement between the two of us that our fights would never take over class time. I turned back towards my locked, noting that Gabriella did the same. She walked off before me towards Darbus' classroom, seating herself at on the left side of the room, her posse and all her minions joining her. My team all took a seat on the right side of the classroom. She sat near the front, and I near the back, so not have to even sit near each other. Ms. Darbus then entered the room and stood on the stage that had been built for her classroom.

"Good morning, young thespians, and welcome back! I hope you all had a great vacation. Just remember that this is your last semester at school and that you must pick up your work habits if you want to get into a good college. Now, onto a different note, the musical auditions for our…" her voice was drowned out of my mind as I looked around. It was going to be a long year.

--

My morning went along pretty well. The only problem I had was that Gabriella had unfortunately been in all of my classes. Thankfully all our teachers let us pick our seats, so Gabriella and I were never sitting near each other. I was headed to the cafeteria for lunch, with my team walking around me.

"Dude, that was tough. I mean really, I only have two classes with you. How am I going to be able to get through this year?" Chad was telling me. I was thankful I didn't have to many classes with him, because he was proving to be a big distraction when in the school atmosphere.

"Yeah, a real shame." I replied in my attempt at a sad tone.

"But I heard you have all your classes with Montez. Must be dreadful." Jason said.

"Yeah, it is." I replied. We walked through the cafeteria doors and I looked around. Nothing had changed from before the year. The tables had been in the same position, but that's not what I was looking at. Gabriella was sitting at a circle on the top level of the cafeteria AN: Where Sharpay and the Drama club sit in the first movie. That was her designated area, so that we didn't have to sit near her. The rest of our followers could sit wherever they wanted to, yet they didn't ever sit at the same table as my followers. There was an even mix of boys and girls in the two sides, because we had friends of the same gender, and admirers of the opposite. Though neither I have had a girlfriend nor Gabriella had a boyfriend.

I walked with my friends to our table where we seated ourselves.

"Man, this year is going to be brutal!" I heard Zeke complain.

"Definitely." Chad agreed.

"Whatever. We have to just get on with it and make sure that we make the best of it. Think of it this way, every day that we spend here is one less day we will ever have to see Montez again."

"True!"

"I propose a toast! To never seeing Montez again." Chad raised his coke up in the air.

"Aye!" The rest of the team joined in.

"Gee Bolton, and I thought I was going to miss you." I turned around to see Gabriella looking at me with her posse following behind me. She must have left her seating area to throw out her garbage.

"Get lost Montez."

"Or what? You'll throw a basketball at me? Really scary." Her minions laughed.

"At least a basketball is more dangerous than a ballet slipper." I fought back. I looked at her all riled up, and somehow it seemed to turn me on. _Snap out of it Bolton! She's Montez. You hate her and she hates you, remember? _Someone waving a hand in front of me drew me out of my thoughts.

"Wow, he had a brain cramp. Probably can't think of an insult back." _Insult? She insulted me back already? _"Bolton, you're really pathetic. Girls, lets go." With that she strutted off and out of the cafeteria.

"Dude, what was that? You completely blanked out! You let her win!" Chad was yelling at me. I didn't even realize that I had blanked out.

"Whatever." I said.

"Whatever? You suddenly don't care what going on? Who are you and what have you done with Troy?" he continued yelling at me. Since when did he care about Gabriella? It was my battle to fight.

"Just, leave me alone Chad!" I got up, grabbed my bag and stormed out into the hallway. Who did Chad think he was fighting me like that? Montez was my problem, and he was just a follower.

"Uhh!" I rammed my first into the lockers. I instantly regretted that as my wrist started throbbing. "OW!" I yelled.

"Hey, you okay?" I turned around to see Gabriella standing there. The second she realized who it was that had yelled, her face instantly changed from confused to cautious, preparing for another fighting match.

"What are you doing here? Wanting to insult me some more?" I accused. My temper had officially burst.

"No. For your information I heard someone upset and I just wanted to see what was wrong. Is that so bad?" She accused back.

"And what if that person was a Bolton follower. What would you have done?"

"You know that I hate how the school feels they have to take sides. But I would of helped them if they wanted it, because a person is a person, it doesn't matter who they decide to support or if they hate your guts. You have to help them whenever they need help. I'm not heartless, like you think." Her words were touching. I never knew that she could have a soft spot for people. I always saw her as the geek turned popular that I fought with.

"I never thought you were heartless." I commented. The expression that I saw in her eyes changed from fired up to soft.

"I didn't think you were either." She looked at me softly, before looking at her hands. "Uumm… I better get going, class and all."

"Yeah." She turned around and stalked off. I couldn't believe what I had seen.

Gabriella didn't fight with me. Behind that vicious, nasty, sexy… person was a kind, quiet girl. It must have been her friends that always pushed her to act mean, they were the ones defending her.

But it was what she said that had caught my attention the most, '_a person is a person, it doesn't matter who they decide to support or if they hate your guts. You have to help them whenever they need help.'_ Was she right? If someone's in trouble, should you really help him or her? After thinking, I came to my conclusion.

Yes.

--

**AN: What do you think? This is the first chapter. I'm just setting up what's going to happen. As you can see Troy is starting to have feelings towards Gabriella. I just wanted to set up the feelings that Troy and Gabriella have towards each other, as well as the whole helping one another issue. I promise that in the next chapter there will be drama. I want to get that started as quick as possible. It could even be fully in swing by next chapter.**

**Anyway, please tell me what you think of the first chapter. Did I start it out right?**

**Xoxo,**

**Vfanforlife**


	3. A Strange Feeling Inside

Chapter 2 – Strange Feeling Inside

**AN: WOW! I'm really pleased with the reviews and the interest in the first chapter. I'm glad you guys liked it! I am starting to really enjoy writing this story and so I am very happy that you guys are enjoying it. **

**Well, school had started and so I really don't know if I will be able to find as much time as usual to update (I know I tried in the summer to update at least once a week, and I will continue to do this throughout the year). **

**I am so excited! Zac Efron is coming to TORONTO! (That's where I live!) I am begging my mom to try and get me tickets to see his show, and hopefully him! That would be a dream come true if I got to meet him. I'm also hoping he decides to bring Vanessa with him, cause then I would we walking on cloud nine that day!**

**Anyway, here's the next chapter. As I promised, I will be starting the drama in this chapter, so get ready. **

--

**Gabriella's P.O.V**

Walking to class, I was thinking of what just occurred between Troy and me in the hallway. We were actually civil towards another. And I thought that he was going to blow up at me for interrupting me. Preoccupied with my thoughts, I didn't see the crow that was building outside of the classroom. It wasn't until I bumped into someone that I was drawn away from my thoughts.

"Whoa Gabs, where have you been? We've been looking for you everywhere." Sharpay Evans, one of my right hand women and drama queen of East High, complained. I realized I must have bumped into her.

"Sorry I was just, thinking."

"What about?" Taylor McKessie, my first ever friend at East High questioned.

"Nothing. It's not important." I tried to make my face happy. "Let's just get to class."

"Yeah, hopefully Bolton's not in this class with us, or I will shoot myself." Sharpay moaned. I was happy that I managed to get Sharpay off topic, knowing that if the rest of my dance team were around, I would have been pressed for more questions. Sharpay and Taylor linked arms with me and together we walking into the classroom, talking seats on the left side. We talked for a while, until I saw Troy, Chad, Zeke and Jason walk into the room. At least he didn't have the rest of his team with him either. They just headed towards their side of the room, not talking here.

"What do we have here?" The teacher, Mr. Thompson, said as he walked into the room. "The room seems to be divided. That can't do. Good thing I have a seating plan right here!" She said, and I heard the room groan. "No need for that. Everyone, out of your seats." I got up, as did the rest of the class, and stood at the front of the room.

"Ok, umm…" He began to read of names and point to seats. I waited until I heard my name. He pointed to a seat right at the front, third seat from the door. I headed towards there. Sharpay and Taylor were on opposite ends of each other, in the fourth row. A girl took the seat to my left right from the drama club, and I was pretty sure that she supported me in this never-ending battle going on with Troy and me. I looked back at Taylor to see Chad was placed beside her. I looked at her with a sympathetic look on my face. She looked back at me with the same. I was confused, until I saw the person that was sitting to my right (2nd seat to the door). There, in all his jock glory, was none-other than Troy Bolton.

"Oh you have got to be kidding me." I mumbled. Then I thought, did what I said to him mean nothing? Was he just going to treat me bad back, or is he different.

"Sorry Montez. Believe be, I don't want to be here just as much as you." Yup, different.

Before I could comment, Mr. Thompson began talking again. I tried not to pay attention to the blue-eyed basketball player sitting beside me. Instead I was writing notes to keep myself distracted. I was so distracted I failed to notice getting up and leaving. My distraction method was going great. It worked for a little bit, until Mr. Thompson decided to call my name.

"Yes sir?" I asked.

"Umm, I need you to give this to Principle Matsui. It's urgent he get this right away." He placed a white envelope on my desk.

"Sure sir." I got up, grabbed the letter and left my bag, seeing no point in taking it on just a little trip to the office. I walked out of the room and down the hallway towards the office. As I walked by the boy's washrooms, the door swung open. In an attempt to dodge it, I turned swiftly, only to see the floor in front of me. Before I could feel the ground, two strong arms wrapped around my waist, turning me. I looked up to see ultra-blue eyes that you could swim in. I relaxed in his arms, until I stiffened up realizing exactly what kind of position I was with _Troy Bolton! _

"Uhh…uumm…" I mumbled while I attempted to get out of his arms. After much twisting and turning I managed to get myself untangled from his arms. "Thanks…" I said quietly.

"No problem…" He responded. We remained quiet for a little bit, until he started a conversation. "So…where are you off to?"

"Uhh…Matsui's office. Mr. Thompson wanted me to give him something." I said, holding up the envelope to show him.

"I see…mind if I tag along? I have to ask him a question about basketball practice this coming Friday." He asked tentatively. It almost seemed like he was nervous to be asking me if he could join me.

"Sure…" We began walking towards the office in a quiet silence. Yet there was a difference.

It was a comfortable silence.

--

After I had delivered my letter and Troy had talked to Mr. Matsui, we walked back out into the deserted hallway. After walking in silence, I finally turned to Troy and grabbed his arm to stop him.

"Troy…wait." I pulled him back. He turned to face me, a confused expression adorning his face.

"Yeah?" He asked.

"I just wanted to know…why didn't you let me fall earlier? You know, when I slipped? Why didn't you just let me fall flat on my face?"

"Remember what you told me earlier?" I thought back… we said some pretty nasty stuff to each other over the course of the day. But there was one conversation we had earlier. When we were alone. I had told him about helping others.

"Yeah?"

"Well, I followed your advice. A person is a person, and we should help them no matter what." Wow… he actually remembered what I said. Maybe Troy wasn't so bad.

"I see… what were you mad about anyway."

"It's nothing."

"Is it Chad? He can get annoying sometimes." I pressed. I had seen a heated discussion going on between both teammates earlier on in the day.

"Just butt out, okay? Why do you have to be so nosy?" Just when I thought he could be nice, the normal, egotistical Troy had to come back out.

"Geese! I was just trying to help! Give you some advice!"

"Well, I don't need your advice." He yelled.

"You listened to it before."

"My first mistake." I could feel my blood boiling.

"You know what, I thought you were different. That our fighting was useless and you could be a decent human being. Why do you always have to ruin it by becoming an egotistical jerk again?"

"At least I'm not a nerdy slut!" Those words hurt. I was not a slut!

"You cruel, backstabbing, son of a…" before I could continue, a crash drew my attention away from Troy. "What the…" I looked at him.

"Don't know." He replied, his usual cool-guy vibe up again. He could switch moods so quickly.

"Let's just get to class before Thompson thinks we're doing something." He just nodded and followed me as I headed down the hallway.

"Hold it!" My body froze. That was not a voice I recognized. I had a strange feeling inside it was not going to turn out good. Troy must have not known who it was either, because he froze just like me. "Turn around." The voice commanded. We did as it said, coming face to face with a two masked men aiming loaded pistols at us." Before I had time to react, something hard connected with the back of my head, and I plunged into darkness.

--

**Sharpay's P.O.V**

As Thompson's class droned on and on, I noticed that Gabriella still hadn't returned from her errand. I was starting to worry. Gabriella was usually very prompt when asked to do things; it was not like her to be late or take a long time. Before I could think about it any further, a loud bell rang through the classroom. _Fire Alarm? There isn't a practice alarm scheduled for today. _

"Quickly Class, exit the room and meet at the old oak tree where our class goes. Hurry, this is not a drill." The students of the classroom quickly jumped out of their seats and began filing out of the door. I quickly walked over towards Taylor and began walking out with her.

"Tay, Gabs isn't back yet." I informed her.

"Gabs is smart, she can figure her way out." Taylor was right. Gabriella would find her way out, and meet us at the tree. The school continued filing out until there was a sea of students covering the green lawns surrounding the school.

"Alright class, come closer so I can start roll call." Mr. Thompson called. I looked around, still not being able to spot Gabriella in the growing crowd of students. "Zeke Baylor?"

"Here." I heard Zeke respond from somewhere to my left.

"Troy Bolton?"

Silence.

"Sir, Troy went to the bathroom half and hour ago." Chad informed the teacher.

"I see, well I'll wait for him to meet up with us." The roll call continued. I answered at my name; still concentrating on the one person whose presence I was missing.

"Gabriella Montez?" Mr. Thompson asked.

Again, silence.

"Gabriella should have been back by now." He continued looking down at his watch.

"She knows he way out. She'll be here." Taylor insisted.

"Too bad. Maybe Gabriella will never find her way, and we'll be rid of her." Chad taunted. The rest of the basketball team laughed.

"That's cruel. How would you feel if Troy never came back?" I questioned.

"That's easy. Troy's a smart boy, he can find his way back. Gabriella can't." He answered as if his response was the simplest thing to come up with.

"Whatever." Taylor mumbled. We turned away. Minutes went by and still Gabriella was not to be seen. Neither was Troy, for that matter. I could see Mr. Thompson getting nervous too.

"All teachers please come here quickly." Mr. Matsui called through a megaphone. Mr. Thompson headed over there.

"Let's follow." I told Taylor quickly as I grabbed her hand. Together we headed over to where the teachers were meeting.

"We're coming." Zeke and Chad said in unison.

"Why would you come with us?" I asked.

"Gossip is always juicy, and everyone will want to hear it from us." Zeke responded. I rolled my eyes, walking towards the teachers. I finally reached a large bush that was close enough to hear them, but big enough so the teachers didn't see us. The four of us crouched down and remained silent.

"It seems we have a large crisis on our hands." Mr. Matsui began.

"What is it?" I heard the voice of Coach Bolton ask.

"It seems that four men broke into the school, and pulled the alarm to get the school to evacuate, creating a distraction." He explained.

"Why is that so terrible?" I heard Miss Smith ask. "Nobody got injured."

"Well…"

"Principle Matsui, while we're talking about problems, I'm missing two students." I heard Mr. Thompson saying.

"Yes well, you see, that's the problem. We are right now in the midst of a hostage situation." He explained.

"Who are the hostages?" I heard Coach Bolton ask in a worried tone. Apparently he had noticed the absence of his son as well.

"Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez." My heart froze. I turned and saw Chad, Zeke and Taylor's faces pale at the news.

Gabriella was a hostage.

She was in danger.

Troy was with her.

They could both be killed.

--

**AN: Well, what do you think? Enough drama for you all? Next time we will get to find out what happens to Gabriella and Troy, as well as the rest of the gangs reactions. **

**Do you guys like the direction the story is going in? Please tell me.**

**Review, Review, Review if you want to find out what happens!**

**Xoxo,**

**Vfanforlife**


	4. Why is This Happening?

Chapter 3 – Why Is this Happening

**Chapter 3 – Why Is this Happening?**

**AN: Hey guys, how's it going? School's started already for most people. On that note, I don't know how often I will be able to update any of my stories. I will try to update as much as possible and as often as possible, but please bear with me (as I'm sure many of the other Fanfiction authors are also feeling). **

**So, Zac has come to Toronto (where I live). Though I have unfortunately not spotted him, I have gotten tickets to see "Me and Orson Welles". It was really good! It was by far some of his best acting yet! He even sang a bit in the movie, which made my heart melt! I really hope it makes it to theaters so that people all over the world can see this amazing movie for themselves. (Message me if you want to know more, or just leave a comment) **

**Anyway, here's the story.**

--

**Sharpay's P.O.V**

I couldn't feel anything. It was like my entire body had gone numb. My leg's buckled beneath me, no longer being able to hold me up. Before I felt my body hit the ground, two arms caught me and lifted me off the ground. I had no clue who it was, but I was not in the mood to argue.

My best friend, the girl that was practically my sister, was being held hostage.

I Finally looked up, to see myself in Zeke Baylor's arms. We were still standing behind the bushes. I looked to my left and saw Taylor crying, and Chad was rubbing her back, a look of shock on his face. I looked ahead and saw Mr. Bolton crying into his arms, the other teachers attempting to console the devastated father. One of the teachers noticed us and motioned to us. Mr. Bolton looked up, and through his tear-stained eyes he looked at us. He slowly began walking towards us.

"Sir…it is true?" I head Zeke ask. Coach's eyes were red, and he looked scared.

"Y…yes." He quietly whispered, before he began crying ever harder. He could loose his only son. And then it hit me.

Yes Coach could loose Troy, but he would still have Mrs. Bolton.

Mrs. Montez had nobody else. The thought brought ever more tears to my eyes.

--

**Troy's P.O.V**

I woke up, a slight burning in my nose. I realized it must have been from the liquid that had been placed on my nose, knocking me out. Trying to stretch, I realized that I was sitting inside a van that had a lock on the door, proving no way of escape. I looked around, and that's when I saw her.

She was lying flat on the ground, her face towards me, and her long brown hair surrounding her. Her eyes were clamped shut, her face looking paler than usual. There was a small scarlet mark in her head, indicating that's probably how they knocked her out. Her still body was freaking me out. I crawled over towards her, trying to see if she was even breathing.

It was raspy and weak, but I did see her chest rise. And fall. And then rise again.

_Why do you care about her so much? She's Montez. _I thought to myself.

We're in a sticky situation, that's the only way that it would be possible. The second we get out of here, it will go back to normal. We'll go back to hating each other, and that's how we will remain. I'm just going to use her brain, that was it. I had convinced my brain of that, but my heart seemed to be having trouble believing it.

I had no clue what to do. I know that usually I am the playmaker, the one that always has a plan, but I was out. There was nothing that I could do. Nothing that involved leaving her alone. I couldn't do that.

Hearing a weak whimper, I turned back towards Gabriella. She was starting to come to. Her eyes blinked a couple of times, and she tried to get up, but I stopped her.

"Slowly, you could have a bruise." She looked at me, and it was then that she probably noticed that I was in the room with her.

"What are you doing here?" She said, snarling. Obviously, even if I wanted peace, she was going to fight me. This was why we never got along in the first place. She wanted a fight; I'll give her a fight.

"What? You think I want to be here on my own will?" I shot back. She looked around, and then her face turned from anger to fright. Her body started shaking.

"N…n…no" She stuttered. Tears began filling her eyes.

"Hey, what's wrong?" I crawled closer towards her. She kept shaking, and tears started to slowly stream down her face.

"It's nothing." I shook my head at her stubbornness. I wrapped my arms around her, feeling her tense up, before she finally relaxed into my arms.

"You can tell me. There's nobody else here. Just you and me." She looked up towards me, curious.

"Why are you being nice to me?" She asked.

"You're upset, and nobody should be rude to someone when they obviously can't handle it." I could tell she was about to respond back when I placed a finger on her lips. "I didn't mean it literally. You would not be able to handle a fight on top of everything, because nobody would." She was still cautious. She then breathed out a sight, then turned and rested her back against my front, squeezing in between my legs.

"It all started years ago. Have I ever told you my dad died?" She asked.

"No. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. It's just… how he died reminds me of this." She paused, and the shakes and tears began to start again. I started rubbing her arms in an attempt at soothing her. I could feel it already working, and she started shaking less and less and relaxed into my body.

"Go on…" I urged. She nodded.

"Well, my dad was walking home one day, and he was listening to his I-pod. At that time, nobody really had I-pods, and so if you did have one, you had money. Anyway, when he was walking to his car, an Audi, some people ganged up on him. They jumped him, knocked him out, and took him in their van. I know it's unusual that men, particularly 40 year old men, and kidnapped, but that happened to my dad. He was missing for about a week, when finally… his body was found at the l…lake a w…week l…la…later" Sobs now wracked her body. I leaned down and kissed her head. I didn't know why I was doing it, but it just felt right.

"Thanks."

"F…for what??" She asked.

"Telling me. It means a lot that you trusted me enough."

--

**Sharpay's P.O.V**

We were all sitting around in the teachers lounge, the staff allowing those closest to Troy and Gabriella talk to a guidance counselor. Chad, Zeke, Jason and the rest of the basketball team were all sitting near us.

"Who could have done this?" I heard Taylor ask.

"We have no clue. The police are doing everything they can. They're searching the premises for evidence, looking at the security cameras and trying to find eyewitnesses. Anything to get them back." Mr. Bolton replied. After having cried for an hour, he finally calmed down, called his wife, and was now sitting with us trying to console the students that were still traumatized.

"Sir, they'll be okay right?" I asked. He turned and looked at me sorrowfully.

"Sharpay, I hope so. I want then to be okay just as much as you do, maybe even more because Troy is my own Son."

"Does that mean that you're going to do more to get Troy back then Gabriella?" I shot back. I had snapped, and people knew that that was happening.

"Of course not. Gabriella has always been a perfect student, and I always treat my students equally. Believe me, I don't want either of them to be hurt."

"We will see them again, right?" Zeke said.

"I hope so. I really do."

--

**Gabriella's P.O.V**

"Troy, do you think we're gonna be okay?" I asked.

"I don't know. I like to think positively, but even in this situation it's hard for me to do." I sighed. It was not the answer that I was looking for, but I would accept it.

"Oh."

"Doesn't mean that we're going to die. Believe me, I'll make sure that you will be safe."

"Troy, it feels nice not fighting. Sometimes, I think that maybe we are pushed into these arguments because of our friends. I don't always want to fight."

"Me to. It's just not right." I smiled. It felt unusually good to be sitting in Troy's arms.

"We'll get out of here." I said, turning my head around and facing him.

"Together." He added with a smile. We were getting comfortable with one another, and it was good.

Suddenly, the back doors to the van burst open.

--

**AN: I know this is really short, but I just wanted to get a relationship between Gabriella and Troy starting. But believe me, the cliffhanger indicates that there will be action the next chapter. **

**Review, review, review!**

**Xoxo,**

**Vfanforlife**


	5. Scared

**Chapter 4 – Scared**

**AN: Hey everybody, I know I have not updated this story in a long time, but I really have been a) busy and b) I have wanted to finish up Summer Camp Nightmare. So, I'm really sorry, but I will not update this story again for a little while, but I will update it (hopefully) before the end of Summer Camp Nightmare. I just really want to get it finished for all you guys.**

**I have also been a bit down lately because it seems like I am getting less and less reviews for my stories. I am sorry that I maybe don't update as often as you want, but it's really hard to find time, especially with taking two AP classes and having piano, debating and a whole bunch of stuff on top of everything. I am doing the best that I can.**

**Anyway, here's the next chapter of the story. Sorry again for taking so long. Props to anyone who just read everything I wrote.**

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**Sharpay's P.O.V**

"Hey." I turned around to find Zeke standing behind me.

"Hi." I said quietly. Without warning, he just bent down and hugged me. We stayed that way for a little bit, then pulled away.

"Thanks" I said.

"For what?" he asked.

"The hug. I needed that." I looked down and started playing with my hands. I felt my chin being lifted up by Zeke.

"Hey… Hey." He must have noticed the tears that were starting to form in my eyes. "You really miss her, don't you?" I nodded.

"It's just. Gabriella has been my best friend since forever. She has always been there for me whenever I had a problem. Whether it was Ryan being a complete pain in the –" I laughed. "Or whenever I have a really big test to study for, Gabriella is just always there for me. Now she is gone, so not only do I not have my confidant anymore, but also I really am worried sick about her. She never talks about her problems, never has, never will. If somebody ever manages to open her up, then they are something special. I'm scared that Gabriella will just keep more and more bottled up, until one day she won't be able to handle it. Hopefully that day doesn't happen when she's…" I stopped. Tears were now streaming down my face. Zeke started to wipe them away.

"It's okay. Honestly. You may not believe it, but Troy is the same. He never talks about his feelings, ever. Sometimes I worry about him. He also has such a hard time controlling his temper, which is another reason him and Gabriella are always getting into these spats. They are just too outspoken and stubborn to control themselves. Anyway, I hope that they can just work together and get out of there." I smiled.

"You know, for a basketball-jock, you're not so bad." He smiled back.

"And for a little drama princess, you're not that bad either." I laughed. His face then turned serious. "Sharpay?"

"Yes?"

"You know, if you ever need, I can take Gabriella's place as your confidant." Place? Did he not believe she was going to make it? Fear spread over my face, and he saw it. "No, no, no… I didn't mean that she wasn't going to come back, I meant that whenever you feel Gabriella can't handle it, or if she's just to busy, I'll be there for you."

"Thanks Zeke."

"You're welcome Sharpay"

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**Troy's P.O.V**

"Getting cozy, eh?" I turned and looked at the person in front of me. He was like nobody I had ever seen before. His dark charcoal eyes bore into me, and I could see the evil and hatred behind them. He looked so strong, muscles popping out of every inch of his body, and was so tall that I strained by neck to look at him. His voice was rough, dangerous. He was standing at the end of the end of the van, with three other men behind him. None of those men looked as intimidating as he was.

"What do you want with us?" I heard Gabriella say to them spitefully. Evidently she had a hard time staying calm in dangerous situations. What had happened to the vulnerable Gabriella I had met minutes earlier?

"Ah, feisty. She's a keeper." Gabriella growled at him. I wrapped my arms securely around Gabriella, feeling how tense she really was.

"Aw, see that boss, and now the boyfriend is protecting her." Gabriella tried to struggle out of my grip, but I tightened it.

"He's not my boyfriend." She spat back. I learned forward and whispered in Gabriella's ear.

"Shh, stop it. Don't get them angrier. Back off."

"What you whispering about?" I heard one of the backup men yell.

"Nothing." I replied, before Gabriella had a chance to respond. She looked up at me, and then nodded understanding that she was not to show any emotion to them. By doing that you show weakness.

"Nothing my ass. Whatever." 'Boss' snapped his fingers and stepped back. His three followers stepped forward.

"Come here." One of them called. Knowing it was better to cooperate then it was to fight them some more, I moved forward, Gabriella still in my lap. Once we got to the edge, one of the men tore Gabriella out of my arms.

"Gabby!" I yelled, not realizing I was using a nickname. Before I knew what was happening, the other two men grabbed me. It took two of them to hold me, but since Gabriella was so petite the other man was holding her over his shoulder easily. I struggled against their grip, but they were too strong.

"Take them to the house." 'Boss' said. The men followed his orders and dragged us (well, me. Gabriella was still over the guys shoulder) into the house. It was huge, almost a mansion. He had a mansion, why did he need the two of us? I couldn't help but wonder. Once we got inside, we were carried up the winding staircase to the second floor, where we were thrown into a small room. The door was metal, with a bolt lock and a small little window. There was a tiny cot, a couple of blankets, and a rotting bookcase with a couple of books on it. There were no windows, nothing. We were thrown to the ground.

"What are you going to do with us?" I asked as the guys started leaving the room.

"Nothing. We just wanted to cause problems for Matsui."

"Why?" I asked. The guys seemed to not be as smart as their 'boss', and were just giving us all the answers. Gabriella was sitting against the wall, shaking. Her tough phase was over with, and she was back to being a nervous wreck.

"Well. Matsui caused problems with boss. Not sure how, but he wanted to ruin his life. Matsui lives for his school, and so why not take that away. When two students are kidnapped from the school, it doesn't look good, and so people will stop taking their kids there. Eventually, he will have to shut it down, and will lose everything he cares about. It's perfect."

"SO back to my first question. What are you going to do with us?" Wow. He really was just eating out of the palm of my hands. This man was a real airhead.

"Easy. You'll be in here, we'll give you food once a week, and you'll just stay here until boss finally decides it's time to give your bodies to the police. Then …" he made the action of a knife slitting his throat. I gulped. "Anyway, bye." He said in a mocking tone, and walked out the door. I head the bolt shut. I turned and crawled towards Gabriella. She was still shaking.

"You okay?" I asked quietly. She turned with ferocity in her eyes.

"Okay? OKAY? You think I'm going to be okay? We're going to die here! The guy even said so. They have no use for us. WE'RE GOING TO DIE! YOU GET IT??" Her eyes were flaming, her body heaving with her uneven breaths.

"We will." I said determined.

"HA! You're funny. You really believe that? GO daydream in the corner there. When you're ready to think realistically, come back." She spat.

"I am thinking realistically. We just have to think of a plan. And YOU…" I emphasized, "Have the brains, and me, the brawn. Together, we can get out of here. You just have to think positively." I could see the wheels turning in her mind as she processed what I was saying.

"Your right." She said quietly. "You're right. We have to get out of here. Think of our parents, our families, our friends, think of what would happen to them if they never saw us again." I crawled even closer to her, and wrapped my arms around her. She just sunk into my arms. I began to stroke her hair. "Troy?"

"Yes?" I answered.

"I'm scared. I'm scared that we won't get out of here. That everything that man was saying is going to come true." I sighed, and kissed the back of her hair.

"We just have to believe. If we do, everything will be okay. Just have a positive attitude." She shifted in my arms, turning her body so she was still in my arms but was facing me.

"Thanks Troy." I smiled.

"You're welcome." She leaned forward and rested against my chest. I kept her there, rocking her gentle back and forth, until I felt her body fully relax. Soon, I felt her breaths even out and I looked down, noticing that her eyes were closed. She was asleep.

I lifted her off the ground, taking myself with her, and gently placed her on the cot in the room. I grabbed one of the thin blankets off the ground. They felt really rough. I took my hoodie off, leaving me in just a lost sleeved shirt with a wife-beater underneath, and I gently put it on top of her thin shirt. I then covered her with the blanket. After lightly kissing her forehead, I grabbed the second blanket and lay down on top of it. It was uncomfortable. I looked back up at Gabriella's sleeping form, and smiled.

'_She looks so peaceful.'_ I sighed. I hoped that we would get out of there.

Or at least Gabriella would.

And I vowed to myself that I would make that happen.

---------

**Sharpay's P.O.V**

After Zeke and I hung out for a bit longer, I decided to find the rest of the group. Soon enough, I found them all being questioned by the police. Mr. Matsui thought it would be a better idea if we all joined together and talked about what we had seen. Zeke and I took our seats, and we all were in a circle, Mr. Matsui sitting at the head. There were some other students from our grade. It seems like they were doing this grade-by-grade. Good strategy.

"Alright, I need all of you to tell me the truth, and nothing but the truth, okay?" The female officer said. I nodded, thinking that I was in a court case.

"When did you last see Mr. Bolton and Miss Montez?" The male officer asked. He looked like he should be an underwear model, but I don't think that would be relevant to the case.

"I last saw Gabriella when she was asked to give something to Principle Matsui." I replied. Zeke was holding my hand for support, and surprisingly is felt comforting, almost right.

"Same with Troy. He was last seen in our classroom asking to go to the bathroom. He took an extra long time, we just assumed he had decided to skip." Chad said. Typical Troy would skip class.

"Is there any way that they could have been together?" Mr. Underwear model asked.

"Not likely. They really hate one another." Taylor said. The two officers seemed to have a curious look on their faces.

"Hate each other?"

"Yup. Can't stand to be together." Jason confirmed.

"Wow. So there is no chance that they would have been near each other." He asked again.

"They were." A quiet voice said. Everyone turned to look at Sarah, a petite girl with light brown and a mouse-like face. She was very quiet, rarely spoke and only had a couple of friends, one of them being Gabriella.

"They were?" Chad asked in disbelief.

"Ya. I was walking from the bathroom when I saw Troy accidentally knock Gabriella to the ground when he came out of the boys bathroom." She answered.

"Typical Troy." I mumbled, only to get a glare from most of the 'Troy supporters' in the room.

"Go on sweetie." The female officer urged. It seemed this was valuable information for the case.

"He helped her up…" I received a smirk from the 'Bolton supporters', "and then they started talking. She said she was going to Principle Matsui, and he asked if he could go with her. When she said yes, they walked down the hall together." That was probably the most I had heard Sarah say in over three years, combined.

"And you're sure this is the truth?" Mr. Underwear asked again. Sarah nodded. "Very well. So it seems they were together, and somebody broke into the school, distracting the students while they ran off with Mr. Bolton and Miss Montez, which makes me wonder. Why?" I had the same question in my mind exactly.

"Did any of you have any real enemies?" The female officer asked.

"Not really. I mean, the school is kind of divided because of Gabriella and Troy, but not to the point of physically hurting one another. More like small fights." Taylor said.

"So none of you had anybody that hated you enough to do something like this." The room was silent for a moment.

"I do." Mr. Matsui finally said.

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**AN: Hey guys! So, I hope that you enjoyed that chapter, and I will try to get the next one out for you guys soon. I have a real good idea for this story, and I'm sure that all of you are going to like it, because I don't think that this has ever been done with a 'hostage' story before. It will be interesting to hear what you think of it when it comes out.**

**Sorry for the cliffhanger, but it makes you more drawn to the story. The next chapter will have a full summary of the story between Mr. Matsui and his 'enemy'. **

**Review, review, review please.**

**Xoxo,**

**Lar [that's my name, if anyone wonders. I will probably use that from now on!]**


	6. Revealed Secrets, Troubles Begin

**Chapter 5 – Revealed Secrets, Troubles Begin**

**AN: Hey guys how are you? I am almost finished "Summer Camp Nightmare" and once I release the epilogue, my newest story will be starting. Also, I am going to be starting a co-write with none other than the fabulous ****PinkheartItalian91****. We have no clue exactly when it will be starting, but once it's out please take a look. Author Alert me or her if you want to know when it finally comes out. If not, I'm sure I'll tell you in an authors note.**

**Thank you all for the reviews on all of my stories, it really means a lot! I does help motivate me to write more, and then you get the chapters out quicker! I luv all of you so much for reviewing!**

**Anyway, here is the next chapter of the story. Tell me what you think!**

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**Sharpay's P.O.V**

We were all staring at Mr. Matsui in silence. He had an enemy. Since when? I know he isn't exactly like your best friend, which would be awkward seeing as he is our principle, but he is still nice to everyone.

"Sir, would you please elaborate." Mr. Underwear said. Mr. Matsui nodded.

"It started out when I was in teachers college. We were all competing to get a certain award in the program, which would guarantee a job here at East High School. Everyone wanted to win this award, and so the tension in the classroom was huge. The guy that seemed to be a shoe-in for the award was my classmate Jonathan McBricke. He was a bright guy, and seemed to know everything. He had the highest average, and so everyone just assumed he would win. That didn't, however, keep us all from trying really hard to get this award." He went silent for a while.

"Anyway, to keep the story short, I studied just as hard as the rest of the students, wanting to win this award myself. When exams came around, I passed with flying colours. The best part, I ended up boosting my average, making it the highest in the universities. This meant, that I won the award."

"And I take it, this Jonathan McBricke didn't take to well to that." The female officer commented.

"That would be an understatement. He was furious, not only with the staff for not giving it to him, but also mostly with me for 'stealing' the award away from him. He threatened me, saying that he would get me back for doing it. I didn't really pay attention to the threat, because I didn't think that he actually meant it, I thought he was just blowing steam."

"Where is he now?" Mr. Underwear asked.

"I have no clue. After graduation I never saw him or heard from him again. I just assumed that he went on with his life."

"Would he have the motivation to do something like this?"

"Maybe. He's very determined, and when he puts his mind to something he could accomplish anything. I mean, I don't understand why he would specifically take Mr. Bolton or Miss Montez, unless it was just to give the school a bad name. If that was to happen, he probably assumed that people would take their students out of east high, and I would lose a job." It made sense. Except it sounded too much like something from a movie. Mr. Underwear had the same look as me on his face, but the female officer, who was now officially dubbed 'Ginger' because of her hair, was scribbling away in her notebook.

"Thank you sir. I think we have something to start a lead. We'll keep in touch." The two officers got up and walked out of the room. Once they did, it remained quiet. Finally, Coach Bolton swiftly got up from his chair and stormed up to Mr. Matsui.

"You didn't REALIZE that he would do that? You ASSUMED he was kidding?" He yelled. Two guys from the football team ran up and grabbed two sides of Coach, to prevent him from doing something he'd regret.

"I didn't think he would come back and kidnap two students, that's for sure."

"MY SON, as well as an innocent girl, could be KILLED because of your STUPID MISTAKE!" Coach yelled again. "YOU MAY BE THE REASON I NEVER SEE MY SON AGAIN!" Coach's face was red. Mr. Matsui was trying to keep his cool, talking gently.

"I'm sorry. I promise I will do whatever I can to tell the police everything about him. They'll find him, and in turn, find Troy."

"And Gabriella" I added in. He nodded.

"And Gabriella." Coach looked at him in disbelief. He then stormed out of the room, some members of his basketball team following him to make sure he didn't kill anybody.

------

**Troy's P.O.V**

When I woke up, my neck was stiff and my back hurt. I rolled over, to feel my head hit a piece of metal. When I opened my eyes, I realized it was one of the legs of the cot. Sitting up, I took a look at Gabriella. She was still sleeping, her eyes still puffy from the crying she had done yesterday. Her hair was a mess, lying all over her back. I smiled. She looked perfect.

'_Snap out of it Bolton! She's not perfect!' _my mind insisted on telling me. Soon, she began to stir. When she opened her eyes, she was looking straight into mine.

"Hey." She said quietly.

"Hey."

"Have they…?"

"No, not yet." On cue, a face appeared through the tiny window in the door. The only part of the guy you could see was his eyes and nose, so it was difficult to tell which one it was.

"Ah, I see you're finally up. Not that it matters. Boss said to check if you were still here, and if you were still alive."

"If it doesn't matter, then just leave." Gabriella spat. I turned and saw her sitting on the cot, the blanket wrapped around her.

"Still feisty. Maybe I'll ask Boss if I can have some fun with you later." I growled.

"You won't lay a hand on her."

"Still protective. Are you sure you're not dating. If not, then boy does he have a crush on you, missy." I glared at him. I didn't like her; I just didn't think it was right for a guy to speak about a girl that way. "Well, I'll be back tomorrow. Maybe if you're lucky I'll bring some water for you guys." He laughed and walked away.

"He's a jerk. I hate him." Gabriella said. I laughed. "What?"

"He's an idiot. Just ignore him. I'm sure it will make him more angry if we refuse to talk to him, or even better, answer in just one word answers." She laughed.

"True. It works with you." I laughed again.

"So that's the secret to you getting me angry." She smirked.

"It's a gift." I smiled. Wait a minute; was I actually having a normal conversation with Gabriella? Nah.

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**Sharpay's P.O.V**

We were all sitting around Ms. Darbus' classroom with Mr. Matsui. The officers called and said that they had come information for us. While waiting, I turned towards Taylor.

"What do you think they found out?" I asked.

"Probably something about his past. It's common knowledge that when they start a search on a suspect, their history is the first thing they check out."

"Why?"

"Because they have to find out if he had any other problems in his past that could have motivated or influenced their later actions." Chad said from behind me.

"Wow, who knew Chad actually had a logical thought." Taylor said sassily.

"I manage to surprise people every day." He replied.

"Really? I thought you were pretty easy to read." She shot back.

"Alright guys, if you're finished flirting with one another." Both of them flushed red. Soon enough, 'Ginger' and 'Mr. Underwear' walked into the room.

"We have some information on Mr. Jonathan McBricke. Apparently, he is the son of billionaire Marcus McBricke. He grew up in Texas with his family."

"So, it's easy then. If he's rich, then we'll be able to find his house easily."

"Not so much. The McBricke's have often been known for buying huge pieces of land under fake names, and building mansion deep inside the forests, so that nobody could find them without knowing where they were first. We have already sent out police to check out the two mansions that were known about, one in Texas and one here in Albuquerque, but both of them were uninhabited. Which means…"

"That the house he is living in is still unknown to people." I said.

"Exactly. It seems like he has no friends at all, for nobody seems to know where he is. We are broadcasting a message all over radios, television and billboards asking people if they have any information on the whereabouts of Mr. McBricke, but so far we have had no responses. We'll keep searching, but until then we will have no leads until we find the location of the mansion, if there even is one."

"I can ask daddy." I said. Daddy knows everybody famous. If anyone were to know where the mansion was located, it would be daddy.

"Do that. Until then, goodbye." Mr. Underwear said. Both officers left the room.

It seems like our chances of finding Gabriella and Troy were getting thinner and thinner.

---------

**Troy's P.O.V**

To pass the time, Gabriella and I were playing poker. Who would have thought that a girl would keep a pack of cards in her pocket at all times.

"Who knows when you might get bored." She had told me. I laughed. Gabriella was turning out to be someone else.

"AHA! I beat you again!" She yelled. It seemed she also had a very good poker face, and had a lot of experience playing it, for she was a pro.

"Well, I'm getting better!"

"No you're not. But, keep thinking you are." I laughed. Suddenly, she coughed. It was starting to occur more and more frequently in the last couple of hours.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"Positive. It's probably just a little cold. I'll get over it in a day. You know, just a 24-hour bug." She responded. I nodded, but didn't truly believe it.

"Come here." I said, motioning to her that she should come to me. She stood up and walked towards me. I wrapped my arms around her.

"What are you doing?"

"Giving you a hug. Is that a crime?" I playfully joked.

"Yes."

"Really?"

"Yup. It is. See, says right here…" She said, pointing to the imaginary scroll in front of her.

"Ah, I see. So I guess I can't give any more hugs then." I was about to unwrap my arms when she grabbed them, keeping them in place.

"There's no police here. I think it's okay." She said. I laughed, and then I dawned on me. Were Gabriella and I just, flirting? No. There was no way. Suddenly, she coughed again.

"Gabriella, are you sure you're okay. Maybe that guy that likes you will bring you some Tylenol or something."

"I'm sure."

"Alright. If you insist." I reached forward, starting to stroke her hand, when I quickly tore it away from her forehead.

"What's wrong?"

"Gabriella, you have a fever." She sighed.

"It's nothing, I'm telling you. I get these little colds all the time. I'll be fine!"

"If you're sure."

"I'm sure." She said straightly. I sighed and went back to stroking her hair, trying to ignore her burning forehead.

I just hoped that it wouldn't become something more.

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**AN: So, what did you guys think? We are getting deeper and deeper into the storyline. I left it with not too big of a cliffhanger.**

**If any of you have noticed, I repeatedly use Sharpay and Troy's Points of View. This is probably because I don't want to have too many different P.O.V's going at once, and Sharpay's seems the most reasonable to use. And anyway, who hasn't wanted to be in the mind of a drama queen. Also, I just feel like getting the just of Troy's emotions will really bring out the story. I think that this story will mainly be told from Troy's P.O.V, unless I am writing the parts of the gang, which is when I will mainly use Sharpay's P.O.V.**

**To anyone who just read that, and understood it, here's a cookie! **

**Talk to all of you soon!**

**Xoxo,  
Lar**


	7. She Was Wrong

**Chapter 6 – She was Wrong**

**AN: Hey guys! I am so pleased with the amount of reviews that I got for the last chapter. I am really happy that you guys are enjoying this story. Today I'm not going to blab on for you guys, and am going to get right to the story.**

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**Troy's P.O.V**

"Okay, I propose we play a game?" Gabriella smirked.

"Haven't we been doing that for the past couple of days?" Yes, it's true. We have been locked in this room for a couple of days. In that time, we had gotten little food, but has been enough to keep us alive. What has been worrying me the most is that Gabriella's cough and fever have not seemed to go away. Instead, it seems that it is getting worse. She continued to insist that she was getting better. I was starting to doubt it. But for now, I decided to keep the peace with her. We hadn't gotten into a fight since the day she started her fever, and I planned to keep it that way. It was reassuring to just have a normal conversation with her. I haven't had a normal conversation with anyone in a long time. To bad it takes this situation for it to happen.

"Hello?" I was drawn from my thoughts by a hand waving in front of my face.

"What? Oh, sorry. I was just thinking." She smirked; boy she does that a lot.

"Was it about the game?"

"Right! The game. Anyway, I saw that we ask each other five questions." She looked at me curiously.

"Seriously?"

"Yeah seriously. You have a problem with that?"

"Isn't that a girly game?"

"So I'm in touch with my feminine side. Sue me." She giggled. Oh how I loved to hear that giggle. What's wrong with me? Was I falling for Gabriella? No way. Not possible.

"Alright then Mr. Feminine, let's get this game started. You go first."

"Okay." I pretended to think really hard. She laughed again. "Got it! What's your favorite colour?" She looked at me questionably. "What?"

"All that thinking for that question? What, hamster fell off his wheel?"

"Since when did hamsters come into the conversation?"

"You know. There's a little hamster in everyone's brain, and depending on how fast he runs around the wheel, changes how hard the person is thinking."

"Women." I mumbled.

"You know you love me." I blushed, sneakily scratching my head at the time in an attempt to hide it from her. She didn't seem to notice.

"You never answered my question."

"Hmm… blue." I laughed. "What?"

"I would have taken you to be a pink kind of girl." She laughed as well.

"Nah. That's Sharpay's category."

"Cool." We were silent for a little while.

"Is that how long it's going to answer all of the questions?"

"Depends on if you comment or not."

"You started it." She always made me smile. Wait, were we flirting? Again? Wow. I can swear I never thought that was going to happen again.

"Whatever. What's you question?"

"Um, what is something that most people don't know about you." I looked down. "Don't worry, I won't laugh." I looked back up at her.

"I like to sing."

"Really?"

"Yeah." I said sheepishly.

"Hey, it's okay. I love to sing!"

"Really?" Before she could answer, there was a click and the metal door was thrown open.

"Hey guys, how are you?" 'Boss' said in a mocking tone. As Gabriella and I had secretly decided, we were going to ignore him. "Answer me!"

Silence.

"I SAID ANSWER ME!" He yelled, and stormed into the room grabbing Gabriella by the neck. The look of fear in her eyes broke my heart.

"We're doing terrible. Worst we've ever felt in our lives." I answered quickly, hoping he would release Gabriella. Unfortunately, I had no such luck.

"And why didn't you do that the first time?" He said, and shook Gabriella to prove his time.

"Slow morning." I responded.

"You really are getting on my nerves boy. Maybe I should separate the two of you so that you can be punished." Fear spread through Gabriella's and my face. Before he could say any more, Gabriella coughed.

"Gross! I don't want to get sick!" 'Boss' said as he dropped Gabriella to the ground. She landed in a little ball on the ground. "I'm getting out of here. Hope you feel better!" He said, laughing as he walked out of the room and locked the door shut. I rushed over to Gabriella's side.

"Are you okay?" She shifted and looked up at me.

"Ye…no." She said as she clutched her forehead.

"Brie?" Yes, I did start using a nickname for her.

"My head. It hurts." I placed my hand on her forehead, to feel that it was even hotter than earlier.

"Brie, you're burning up."

"Mmm." She mumbled. Her hand was still tightly gripping her forehead. "Troy…" she mumbled.

"Shh it's okay." I gathered her in my arms and carried her to the cot. Once I laid her down, I saw she was shivering. I put her in my hoodie as well as covered her with both blankets, but she was still shivering. I honestly didn't know what to do. I'd never had to deal with someone who was sick before. I looked around the room, wracking my brain for any memories of what my mom used to do for me when I wasn't feeling well.

"Aha!" I quietly praised myself as I walked towards the bookshelf and grabbed one of the water bottles we had. Two days ago we have been given four, and we had only drunken one of them, so there were still three. I noticed that there was also a small rag, which I grabbed. Going back to Gabriella, I sat down on the ground beside her, wetting the rag with a tiny bit of water. I gently began dabbing it to her forehead.

"Mmm." She mumbled again.

"Does that feel good?"

"Yes." She whispered. I continued to dab the water-soaked cloth to her flaming forehead. We stayed quiet for a while, until she spoke up again.

"Troy."

"Yeah Brie?"

"You know how you were talking to me about singing earlier?"

"Yeah."

"Can you sing to me?" I smiled.

"Sure." And then I began to sing a familiar melody in my mind.

_I love the way you smile_

_When I look in your eyes_

_I love the way you laugh_

_When I try to be funny_

I continued dabbing her forehead while singing to her, her eyes staring into mine.

_And how a tear rolls down your face_

_When I say, 'no one could ever take your place'_

_And baby when you sleep, I watch you, breathing_

_And Baby when you dream, I dream with you_

_Cause everywhere you are, is where I want to be_

_It's True_

_Everything you do_

_Makes me know how much I love you_

She smiled up at me, and I couldn't help but hope that it was because she felt the lyrics of the song as much as I was.

_They way you touch my lips_

_Right after every kiss_

_And softly whisper_

_That I be your everything_

_The way you pray our love won't die_

_Every night just before you close your eyes_

I took my other hand and started stroking her head while I continued to dab the wet rag to her forehead. Gabriella's eyes slowly began to close, and I knew that she was really tired.

_And baby when you sleep, I watch you, breathing_

_And Baby when you dream, I dream with you_

_Cause everywhere you are, is where I want to be_

_It's True_

_Everything you do_

_Makes me know how much I love you_

_And I believe, something's are meant to be_

_As sure as there is love_

_Yours is meant for me_

Gabriella's steady breaths were heard, and I knew that she was now asleep. I was grateful that I had managed to lull her into a restless sleep, in hopes that she would heal as she slept.

_And baby when you sleep, I watch you, breathing_

_And Baby when you dream, I dream with you_

_Cause everywhere you are, is where I want to be_

_It's True_

_Everything you do_

_Makes me know how much I love you_

_And baby when you sleep, I watch you, breathing_

_And Baby when you dream, I dream with you_

_Cause everywhere you are, is where I want to be_

_It's True_

_Everything you do_

_Makes me know how much I love you_

I sat there for a while, watching Gabriella sleep. When all of the water was used up from the rag, I placed it and the bottle back on the bookshelf, ready to use when she woke up. I went back to the cot and sat down beside Gabriella, stroking her hair in a soothing motion. My thoughts swarmed through my head, but one seemed to be taking priority.

I was worried.

Gabriella had insisted that she was going to get better in a couple of days. That is was just a 24-hour cold.

She was Wrong.

As I continued to stroke her hair, I did something that I hadn't done in a very long time. Something that my parents had always insisted I go, but never felt a true need to. I always thought I was the 'bit man on campus', but I knew that this was not in my power. This was in the power of someone bigger.

As I sat there, I prayed.

Prayed that our families would remain safe. Prayed that we would get out of there safe. And, most importantly…

Prayed that Gabriella would get better.

If she didn't, the ending result would be disastrous.

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**AN: Wow. The storyline is really starting to form. I know that I didn't include any Sharpay/the rest of the gang in this chapter, but I really wanted to set the storyline for Troy and Gabriella further along. I promise that I will include Sharpay and the investigation's progression in the next chapter.**

**As you can see, one of the major problems that they will encounter while kidnapped is arising. I hope you guys like this little twist. **

**Working hard to get the chapters out to you!**

**Luv all of you lots!**

**Xoxo,**

**Lar**


	8. Worse

**Chapter 7 – Worse**

**AN: I am really sorry it is taking a long time to write, but I have been grounded for a long time, and the last couple of chapters were pre-written, which is why I was able to post them when I did. I'm sorry that it is taking a while, but Christmas Holiday's are just about to begin, and hopefully I will have a lot of time to write these stories. **

**Not much to talk about. Here's the next chapter.**

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**Sharpay's P.O.V**

"Well, daddy was a complete bust." I said as we sat around my living room. I had just gone and asked my dad if he knew of a secret McBricke mansion, and he said he didn't.

"You never know. The officers might get some sort of tip." Taylor commented.

"It's been a week. I doubt anyone is going to give a tip now." I huffed. Kelsi looked at me disappointed.

"You know, I never thought you would be like that Sharpay."

"Like what?"

"A pessimist. Someone who just give's up."

"I am not a pessimist!" I countered.

"You kind of are…" Taylor responded nervously.

"I'm just stating the obvious. We should all just face the fact that Gabriella will never be coming back. Even her mom has come to understand that reality. Do you know what she did last week, she started preparing the memorial collage!" I yelled. Taylor and Kelsi stayed silent.

"She…did?" Kelsi whispered.

"Yeah." I responded. We were quiet for a moment.

"That's horrible." Taylor said finally. We all nodded. I could feel tears welling up in my eyes.

"And I had to help her gather all the pictures." Taylor wrapped a comforting arm around me. "I guess it was hard to look at all of the pictures, because they brought back so many memories. Memories that we may never get the chance to re-live." I sighed. "I just want her back."

"We all do. I even think that the guys secretly hope that she gets back. I mean, I know they are worried sick about Troy, but he is a guy, and he has a better chance of getting out of there than Gabriella."

"Isn't that a bit stereotypical, Taylor?" Kelsi said. We started giggling. It was the first time in days that any one of us had ever let out a smile.

"She'll come home. I can just feel it." Kelsi said.

"You're right. Gabs is a strong person. If anyone can make it out of there, she can." I finally admitted.

I just hoped I was right.

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**Troy's P.O.V**

Gabriella was getting worse and worse. Her fever had risen, and I was sure that it was at an almost critical stage. She was shivering all the time, the blankets and my jacket her only source of warmth. But the worst part was that she was weak.

So weak, that she could barely get off of the cot.

I had completely bound her to "bed", hoping that she would get better. We got two water bottles a day; one would be given to her to drink, so she at least had a little fluid in her body. Half of the second would be used dabbing her forehead, while the last bit I would drink. I tried to get Gabriella to eat some of the bread that was also given to us, but she was so nauseous that she couldn't keep it down.

So I ate it instead.

The men came to check up on us, and once they saw that Gabriella was so seriously ill, they laughed, saying, "she would be easier to get rid of then they thought, and it would be less messy". I would have ran at them full speed, firsts flying, right then and there, but Gabriella put her hand on my arm, calming me down slightly.

The most valuable ritual that had developed over the last week was that I would sing "our song" to her at least three times a day. She had loved it so much, the peaceful lyrics and melody calming her and lulling her to sleep, that she would repeatedly ask me to sing it for her. So much, that I didn't think when I did it, it just happened. I had just finished singing the song to her for the second time today, and was now stroking her hair.

"Troy?" her raspy voice asked.

"Yeah Brie?" I had also developed a habit of calling her that constantly.

"Do you…think I'll get out of here?"

"Of course. We both will." She sighed, and then coughed.

"No Troy. I mean, do you think I'll get better? My mom once had the same thing, and she said it was pneumonia. I heard if it get's serious enough, it can end up being fatal."

"That won't happen! I won't let it." I said strongly. "It's probably not pneumonia. It's just a cold, or maybe a bad flu. With these liquids and bed-rest, you'll be better in no time." I hoped.

"I hope so." She had the same thoughts as me.

"Brie, I'll take care of you. I don't know what has happened, but I have grown fond of you over the time we have spent together. I don't know what it is, but you are just so special." I couldn't believe I was telling her my feelings, but it just felt right.

"Me too." She smiled. "And you've done so much for me."

"It's nothing. I'm happy to help you. When you are this sick, I don't know what really happens, but I am just frightened for you. I mean, now that you and I have done through this, I feel like if you all of a sudden disappeared, I would have a hard time getting back into the reality. You know?"

"Yeah. I understand." A silence engulfed us for a moment. "Troy?"

"Hmm?"

"When we get out of here, can we stay friends? Can we stop the fighting that has been dividing our school for so long? I mean, if we were to all of a sudden be civil around one another, wouldn't the school follow? We could set things right, stop all of the fighting, once and for all."

"Most definitely. I don't think I could go back to hating you. You're too likeable!" She laughed.

"And you're a cute little basketball star." I smiled. Then she coughed again, and my smile faded. She must have noticed the sudden change in my facial expression.

"I'll be fine."

"Yeah, you will be." I replied. We stayed in a comfortable silence for a little longer, me continuing to softly stroke her hair in a rhythmic pattern. This continued, the only noise filling the tiny room was the occasional cough and sniffle emitting from Gabriella. Finally, she spoke up.

"Will you sing me our song again?"

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**Sharpay's P.O.V**

We were all gathered in the head office of the officers we had spoken to a week ago. And not just me, Taylor and Kelsi, but also the guys, Mr. Matsui, Mr. And Mrs. Bolton, and Mrs. Montez. I had a feeling that the news they had for us was important. We were sitting down, waiting for Mr. Underwear and Ginger to walk through the doors. How long could it take them to walk from their private offices to the main office?

As if on cue, they finally walked in the door.

"As you all know, you all have been called in for some news."

"And that news is?" Mr. Bolton asked. His hands were interlaced with Mrs. Bolton's. Mr. Matsui had an arm wrapped around Mrs. Montez, comforting her. Her facial expression showed all, she was expecting the worst.

Like that Gabriella would never come back.

Or that they had stopped searching.

Or, worst of all, that Gabriella was dead.

"The news isn't exactly terrible, but is not amazing just yet."

"Just tell us the news!" Mr. Bolton yelled. It seemed the restless nights he's been having the last couple of days were catching up with him.

"Alright. It seems we got an anonymous tip yesterday, that there had been some racket and lights seen deep into the Forests of Phoenix."

"That's in a whole other state!" Mr. Matsui yelled.

"Exactly. It seems that the kidnappers took them away from New Mexico all together. But… we're not even sure if the tip is even valid."

"But you'll still check it out, right?" Taylor asked.

"Of course." Ginger replied. "Unfortunately, it will take at the quickest a day to get there, even if we use helicopter."

"Which means?" Mrs. Montez asked.

"Which means… that we can have them back to you at the earliest three days… if they are there?" Mr. Underwear replied.

"And what do you mean by that?"

"He means that if they aren't dead." I replied.

"Shar." Taylor mumbled.

"What? It's true. Who even knows what happened to them? For all you know the kidnappers did away with them long ago."

"You know that's probably not true" Chad said.

"Sure, not Troy. He's a guy, and from what the eyewitnesses have said, the kidnappers were guys to. Troy will be just fine. But what about Gabriella? Do you know what happens when girls are kidnapped? Huh?"

"Sharpay…" Zeke tried to interrupt me, but I kept on talking.

"No! Do you know what happens! They NEVER COME BACK!! The kidnappers who horrible, wretched, vile things to them, and the just kill them! Sure. Troy will get out of there alive, but WHAT ABOUT GABRIELLA!" Never had I been one who showed her emotions, but this was too much.

I had finally cracked.

I just hoped that what I thought would happen…

Wouldn't.

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**AN: Well, there's the next chapter. Please, tell me what you think. Do you guys like what direction I am taking the story in. Do you want a bit more physical drama between the kidnappers and Troy/Gabriella, or do you want me to just continue with what is going on. Please tell me.**

**Just in case any of you skipped what I wrote, can you please read it? Those of you who did read it, here's a spaceship shaped cookie! Lol.**

**Review, Review, Review if you want to find out what happens next!!!**

**Xoxo,**

**Lar**


	9. Conflict

**Chapter 8 – Conflict**

**AN: Hey guys, how are you doing? Well, from reading your reviews, many of you have said that you have wanted some drama between the kidnappers and Troyella, and so that I what I am going to give you. I also got a couple of people telling me that they were getting sick of the whole hostage part, and so I will try to wrap it up quicker than I planned to! **

**Sorry if it takes a long time to review, but thankfully I only have two stories going at the moment and so it is easier to get updates out. And, Christmas holidays are coming up, which will probably mean more frequent reviews, if I don't have a lot of assignments over the holidays. **

**Also, i just found out that my laptop, with all my stories on it, has a virus. It had been taken in to get fixed, and until then i need to write on the main computer in the basement. If it takes longer, sorry. But, it probably won't. **

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**Troy's P.O.V**

Again, I was sitting there and watching over Gabriella. For some reason, the kidnappers had been quiet the last couple of days, only giving us our food and leaving silently. There was rarely any interaction, I was actually getting nervous. They used to insult us, tease us, or talk to us. Now, they weren't near us at all. Even more frightening, 'Boss' hadn't been near is at all.

Fortunately, Gabriella seemed to be getting better. Her cough was better, and she insisted that the nausea was completely gone. She was still covered in blankets, and had a high fever, but I was sure that the liquids I had been giving her and the rest she had been getting was making her better. That was the only positive side to what was happening.

"Troy?" Gabriella mumbled as she shifted on the cot, facing me.

"Hey, you're awake. How are you feeling?"

"Better." She was quiet for a bit, before she touched my face gently. A spark spread through my body, but I pretended not to notice it. It meant nothing, right?

"You look tired. Have you slept at all?"

"Of course."

"Troy, you can't get sick to. Here, I'll get off the cot, you go to bed."

"No. You need to rest up and get completely healed. I'm perfectly comfortable here." I said. She stared at me for a long time, and it was then that I noticed the sheer beauty that was Gabriella. She had naturally long eyelashes, and her deep-chocolate eyes were so gentle and loving. She had a tiny little nose, which just added to her natural beauty. I couldn't believe that I had never noticed this before.

I reached up and stroked her cheek gently, watching as her eyes closed in contentment. I breathed in, never feeling this way before. It was a strange feeling, something foreign to my body, but I enjoyed it.

Sure, I have had many girlfriends in the past. Well, more flings. Each girl was the exact same, stereotypical blond. Unnaturally thin body, complete with highlighter pink nails, cheerleader outfit, bleach blonde hair, and IQ no higher than 20. It was no secret that I had the reputation of a player at East High. In fact, even my mother and father knew, though they pretended not to. There "relationships" never lasted longer than a couple of weeks, the longest lasting two months. I was satisfied with my life, and didn't even think about what it would mean to have a true commitment.

Honestly, I was scared of commitment. I had watched, as my brother had gone through the breakup of a terrible relationship, crying and moping around his room for months, no association with the outside world. I vowed to myself then, that I would never experience the same pain, and so I would never get into a serious relationship. I would always remain a bachelor, a player, a man who had many flings but never an actual girlfriend. The term sent chills up my spine.

So why then, was I feeling this? In front of me was a girl so beautiful, Aphrodite would probably have a run for her money. The feelings I had were indescribable, a whole new experience for my body.

And it was because of these feelings that I felt myself leaning in, closer and closer, to Gabriella. My eyes slowly began closing, and I saw Gabriella's were still closed. It wasn't until I felt the softness of her lip on mine that I finally felt the spark.

It shot through my body, spreading to every inch. My fingers tingled, my body experiencing a new kind of happiness.

As I kissed Gabriella, I noticed something. Something that was different between this kiss and the many that had been shared between my "flings" and me. This was one gentle, soft, but somehow more passionate. The feeling inside of me proved something that my dad had been telling me for a long time, something that I had constantly ignored…

My father always told me that one day, I would meet "the one." He told me it was unexpected, but the second it happened, it was like Cupid had sent his arrow and hit me. I would feel different, and feel like I couldn't live without the other person. I insisted that I would never find "my one", but he always told me to not underestimate myself, and that it would happen when I least expected it.

And indeed, it had.

I had found my "one", in the form of Gabriella Montez.

We pulled back from the kiss, breath taken away, and watching Gabriella's every movement, seeing how she was going to react. She seemed stunned, shocked, and scared all at the same time. We stayed quiet, my hand still resting on her cheek, until finally Gabriella broke the silence.

"Wow."

"Yeah, wow."

"Why did you?"

"I don't know." We were quiet for a moment, before I continued. "I liked it."

"Me too. Did you feel it?" she asked.

"The spark?"

"Yes." She nodded, coughed, then responded.

"Me too."

"What does this mean?"

"I don't –" I didn't have time to complete my thought, because the doors burst open. Standing in the doorway were the men that we have not been missing, including 'Boss'. One of the men stood guard at the door, while 'Boss' and two other men came forward. If looks could kill, the look on 'Boss's' face would have rendered Gabriella and me lifeless.

"WHAT HAVE YOU GUYS DONE?"

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**Sharpay's P.O.V**

"Do you think they're okay?" I asked.

Chad, Zeke, Taylor, Kelsi, Ryan and I were sitting my living room, waiting for news. It had been two days since the police cars and helicopters had set out for the "mysterious mansion" that Troy and Gabriella were presumed to be in. Three days we had all been sitting in my living room, around he phone, waiting for answers. Three days the phone had remained silent.

"I'm sure that if they haven't killed each other yet, then they are fine. Troy and Gabriella are strong people, and will make it out of there. Besides… together, they probably know how to push the kidnappers buttons real well, and he's left them alone." The image brought a smile to my face for the first time in days. Against one another, Troy and Gabriella could be quite nasty. I could only imagine what the two could come up with together.

"What do you think is going to happen, once they finally get home?" Kelsi asked.

"What do you mean?" Ryan questioned.

"I mean, are we just going to go back to hating each other, or are we going to remain acquaintances? This rivalry at school is probably not good for any of us." Taylor filled in.

"It's probably best to go back to what we were like before. It will be easier." Chad said. Of course he wanted to go back to normal, to keep his "cool status."

"How? We've grown close together through this terrible tragedy." I countered.

"Yeah, but that will only last for how long. As soon as Gabriella and Troy get back, the tension will go back up, and we will just go back to hating each other. Best not even start being friends and avoid the pain." Chad could really be heartless sometimes.

"And what if Gabriella and Troy have somehow come to an understanding?" Taylor asked.

"Impossible." Chad responded.

"They hate each other to the bone. There isn't a power on this earth that could bring those two together, let alone allow them to have a civil conversation." Zeke added.

"They could. You never know what fate intends."

"Fate? Fate! That's a laugh. You actually believe that Troy and Gabriella are destined to be together? Ha! We'll see how far your theory can go."

"You know Chad, just when I thought you could actually be a decent person, your ugly, bully self comes back out." Taylor shot.

"Well, at least I don't have multiple personalities. You're acting all miss "I'm so innocent" here, but at school you are still a heartless, selfish bitch." Tears started forming in Taylor's eyes. She was always kind to everyone at school, and always the one who was trying to spread peace in the school.

"How dare you say that? You're the heartless jerk, if anybody." Kelsi practically yelled. The fighting continued, each side insulting each other and confronting one another. Then, they were silenced by a sound. A sound that they had been waiting to hear for a long time.

The phone ringing.

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**Troy's P.O.V**

"What do you mean 'what did we do'? We've done nothing." I shot. One of the men came and grabbed Gabriella, hoisting her up, while the second grabbed me. I struggled and struggled against him, and noticed that Gabriella wasn't struggling. She couldn't struggle. She was too weak.

"Well, it seems like somebody tipped off your little 'friends', and now the police are on their way here right now. How convenient that they figure it while you have been locked up, away from us."

"We didn't call …cough…them. We have no phone!" Gabriella weakly yelled. The man grabbed her by the throat and squeezed it tightly. Gabriella began to struggle, and I knew that he weak lungs could not manage without unlimited amounts of oxygen.

"LET HER GO!" I yelled.

"Ah, the boyfriend gets all touchy. Loosen the grip." 'Boss' said. I sighed in relief as colour slowly began to spread in Gabriella's face, but it still remained pale and clammy. She was still very sick. "Anyway, I think you guys need a bit of a punishment for a little while, what do you say?" I began struggling again.

"I don't think 'e like that idea, boss." Said the man holding me.

"Of course he doesn't you nitwit." 'Boss' yelled. "All the same. I think that we should take little Miss Sunshine with us to the other room to have our "fun", and you sir can stay here with Mo and Simon." Ah, so the two idiots had names.

"You're not separating us."

"Ah, but I believe I am. Take her away." I saw fear stretch across Gabriella's face, and I wasn't going to let them take her away. I kicked Mo, or was it Simon, in the leg, and he let go of me. I quickly ran towards Gabriella and tried to pull her weak, fragile body out of the man's tight grasp. I kept whispering reassuring words in her ears.

"It's going to be okay Brie. I'll get you out of here."

"T…Troy?" She said weakly.

"Yes." I said, and managed to finally pull her out of the man's grasp. We tumbled onto the floor, her landing on top of me, and I finally felt how hot she truly was. Gabriella had a deadly high fever, and needed antibiotics.

"Troy…I…I…L…Love…You…" Gabriella stuttered out weakly. The outburst caught me by surprise. She loved me? The girl who I had always thought was my enemy, the one that I was always fighting with and insulting, loved me? But then I thought about it and I realized I felt the same way.

The player had finally fallen in love. He had found "The One."

"I love you too, Gabriella. I love you. And I promise I will take care of you. I –" my thought wasn't finished as I felt a hard piece of metal hit the back of my head.

My vision soon faded into darkness.

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**AN: Well, what do you guys think? The people who asked me for some drama, did I do a good job. Also, i included some real good Troyella stuff. It's getting intense!**

**The amount of reviews I got for the last chapter was spectacular. Can we maybe get the same number as last time? Or more? That would be fantastic.**

**Please, review if you want the next chapter out soon!**

**Xoxo,**

**Lar**

**Ps. I am so happy with the amazing response that I have gotten to "Fate Works in Strange Ways". It seems to be really popular with you guys. I'm glad you like it! If you haven't read it, please check it out! The next chapter has just been updated!**


	10. Alone

**Chapter 9 – Alone**

**AN: Wow, what an amazing amount of reviews I got for the last chapter! Thank you all so much! I love it when you review because it really** **makes my day. Thank you all so much!**

**People, i know that this is a filler, but the next chapter is the one you all have probably been waiting for... when the police get to Troyella!!! Please review, review, review if you want it posted soon!**

**Anyway, here' s the next chapter.**

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**Troy's P.O.V**

When I woke up, I was alone.

My head was pounding, and as I tried to sit up, I felt the room start to spin. I brought my hand up to the back of my head, and it was then that I felt the giant bump that was beginning to form. The pain was excruciating.

Once the room stopped spinning, I looked around and realized I was in the room I had always been in. The water and spare bread was still on the rotting bookshelf, and the cot was still in the middle of the room.

The cot…

Where was Gabriella? I jumped up, swaying on the spot for a moment, before frantically looking around the room.

"Hey. Watch it." I turned around and saw Simon standing in my room, blocking the iron doorway. I was trapped.

"Where's Gabriella?" I asked.

"She's with the 'Boss'. He's deciding what to do with her." Fury filled my body. I would kill him if he did anything to her. And then I remembered. She was sick, deathly ill, and had no-one to take care of her.

"She's sick. I need to help her."

"Oh she'll be fine. Stop being such a wuss." The man exclaimed, and pushed me down onto the ground. I groaned in pain as my head hit the asphalt pavement. Simon's cell phone then started beeping. He answered.

"Simon 'ere."

"Uh-huh."

"Yup, he's awake. Annoying the crap out of me." I smirked at that. At least I was good at one thing.

"Yup."

"Gotcha. See you there." He hung up. "Well, it seems like we're leaving. Me, of course, not you." Then why did he say we? "Don't want the police catching us." Simon turned around and opened the metal door, before closing it and locking the bolt on the door shut. He then opened the tiny window and looked in.

"Hope they hurry up. You probably won't last long without food or water." He chuckled. "For sure not the girl." I ran towards the door and slammed into it.

"Take me to her! She needs me." Simon pretended to think about my request.

"Nah. It's more fun to watch you suffer. Bye-bye!" He said in a mocking tone, before shutting the window shut and headed down the hallway. I needed to find Gabriella. She was sick, probably tired, and needed food and water. I had to find a way to break down the door. But I knew it was nearly impossible, so instead I prayed.

Prayed that the police would get here in time.

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**Sharpay's P.O.V**

For a second, as the phone rang, everyone froze. We didn't know what to do. Finally, Taylor, being the rational one she always was, answered the phone.

"Hello?"

"_Hello, is this Sharpay Evans."_

"I'm Taylor McKessie, Sharpay's good friend."

"_Very well. I'm calling about the lead we had earlier." _

"Yes?"

"_We're nearing the location of the mansion. Our helicopters flew ahead and indeed spotted the mansion that was said to be located there. However, it is in the middle of the forest and the helicopter could not land. We have to get there by car."_

"When can you get to the mansion?"

"_At the latest tonight."_

"And then?"

"_We will rush in and try to find your friends." _Taylor nodded.

"Please, keep us updated." Taylor said a few more things, and then hung up.

"Well?" I asked.

"There is a mansion where the anonymous tipper said. They should be there by tonight. They'll call us when they have more information." Kelsi had a small smile.

"Does that mean that we could possible see our close friends by tomorrow?"

"Hopefully." Ryan said.

"Knowing Gabriella, the first thing she'll do once she get's out of there is call us and update us on how she is. She knows how paranoid we get around her." Chad, Zeke and Ryan looked confused.

"Why?"

"Ever since her dad died, she has always been a little sensitive. Whenever a guy did her the wrong way, she would go into a depression for a long time, rarely leaving her room and not really associating with anybody. It was very unhealthy. Since then we learned to learn about what was going on, and if we suspected anything was fishy about the guy she was with, we would urge her to stop the relationship. She usually did."

"I thought she was the 'leader' of your little posse?" Zeke asked.

"She is, technically. She's the smartest, prettiest, and most logical. But she is the most sensitive and emotional, and needs tons of taking care of. We hope that one day she will find the perfect guy for her, someone who can take care of her and protect her, so we no longer have to." Zeke smiled.

"That's actually quite sweet. Wishing your best friend the luck of finding a good man before yourselves."

"Gabriella always puts others first, contrary to what you might believe. We just want to return the favour. Beside's, she deserves it."

"Well, I think it's silly."

"You don't believe in finding your 'perfect soul mate'?"

"Nah. I'll remain a bachelor all my life."

"That's horrible. Won't you get lonely?" Taylor asked him.

"Nope. I'll have enough one-night stands and flings to live off of."

"You are just an insensitive jerk, you know that?"

"I know. You said it earlier." They continued yelling at one another.

"Guys! Guys! Can we not fight until after Troy and Gabriella get back? Why not concentrate on them coming home safely before we fight. I mean, it will just do us all some good." I yelled. Honestly, I had a huge headache, and was so worried about Gabriella that I didn't need a fight on my shoulders as well.

"I agree with Sharpay. We'll just take care of them first, and then go back to our natural way of life. Deal?"

"Deal."

"Deal."

"Deal." The three boys replied unanimously.

"Alright." We stayed quiet for a moment.

"They are okay, right?" That was probably the seventh time that question had been asked today.

"Hopefully." I responded.

"They will be, because if they aren't, then there really is no chance for us all." Zeke comforted. I hoped that he was right. Because I didn't want to know what tomorrow would bring.

Would they honestly be okay?

Would Troy and Gabriella come back to us in one piece?

Would they still be enemies like they started out?

Would the people that had taken them be caught and arrested?

There were so many questions that I had running through my mind.

And so little answers to these questions.

And only a couple more hours until I got some of the ones I wanted.

I didn't know if I wanted them.

I was worried about what was to come.

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**AN: I know this was a short chapter, but it is mainly a filler to what will happen in the next chapter. Next chapter we will find out exactly what happened to Gabriella after she was separated from Troy… duh, duh, DUH! Also, the police will find the mansion. Will it be the right one? Will they get to Troy and Gabriella in time?**

**You have to review if you want to find out!**

**Luv you all!**

**Xoxo,**

**Lar**


	11. The Mansion

**Chapter 10 – The Mansion**

**AN: well, here is the LONG AWAITED chapter where the police finally get to where Troy and Gabriella are. Don't worry though, there will be plenty of more action, drama and romance coming up, this story is far from coming to an end… don't worry!!!**

**Thank you for all of the reviews that I have been getting from you guys. They are fantastic!! I love it! I am really happy that you are reviewing and enjoying my story, so much that it makes me want to write faster!!! So please, review!**

**ALSO: This chapter is being updated today in honor of the most wonderful person who's birthday it is today! HAPPY BIRTHDAY VANESSA HUDGENS!!! I am posting this chapted in honor of her! Also, i have posted a Happy Birthday video for Vanessa on my youtube, so would you please check it out? The link is in my profile. Anyway... this chapter is dedicated to you Vanessa! Have a great day!**

**And, here it is… the chapter!!!**

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**Troy's P.O.V**

Minutes?

Hours?

Days?

I had no sense of time at all. How long had I been in the damp, dark, cold room? The quiet that surrounded me gave me chills…

Where was Gabriella?

I had heard nothing. The men had fled, ran away, bolting the door shut behind me. They had insisted that the police were on there way, but I wasn't so sure now. My stomach was growling, the lack of food finally taking a toll on my body. With my lack of sleep I could barely keep my eyes open. I was weakened, and I feared that if I didn't make it out of here soon, I would die here. Though this fear was strong, there was another that dominated my mind.

If I was feeling this weak, in what condition was Gabriella?

She had just started getting better when I last saw her, whenever that was. I needed to know what happened to her. If something happened to her, I don't know what I would do.

What shocked me was that I was actually feeling like this. A year ago, I detested her, so much that I probably would have left her to die. Now… I loved her. I actually felt something for her. I had feelings for the girl that was supposed to be my worst enemy.

I just hoped that she was okay.

It was then that I heard something. It was so faint, that if my ears hadn't been deprived of sounds in the last while I probably wouldn't have noticed it.

Pounding, yelling, and Sirens.

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**Sharpay's P.O.V**

A phone ringing distracted us as we sat in my living room.

"Hello?" I asked.

"_Miss Evans?"_

"This is she."

"_I would like to inform you that we have arrived at the location where your friends are presumed to be."_

"And?" With my hands I called the rest of the gang closer, motioning to them with my finger to be silent, and put the phone on speaker.

"_We're not sure. We have been knocking on the door, but have gotten no response. The mansion is enormous, so that could be the reason why nobody is responding. There are other possibilities though…" _he paused for a moment. _"It appears that the kidnappers have fled. The lights in the mansion are out, and there are tire tracks leading away from the place. Some of our men have been sent out to follow the tracks."_

"Do you think that they are still in there?" I asked.

"_Most likely. Unless those kidnappers are really dense they would most likely not just haul two teenagers around with them. They would leave them and run."_

"If they aren't answering, what are you going to do?"

"_We just broke down the door. We'll call you once we have more information." _I then heard the ring tone.

"So…they're there?" Taylor asked.

"Yup." Chad replied. We were silent.

What we had been hoping for was finally happening.

And we didn't know how to react.

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**Troy's P.O.V**

I had heard a loud thud, and then silence. Perhaps the people had broken in and were searching the house for us.

Or perhaps, they had given up.

I hoped that the latter wouldn't come true.

Again, I sat in silence and darkness. I didn't know how big this house was, but surely it couldn't be so big that it would take this long for grown men to run around calling our names? Could it?

I had no clue.

I sat in silence.

Suddenly, when I felt that there was no hope left, I heard a yelling.

"_Is anyone in here?"_ It was distant, but it was not my imagination. It was real.

"IN HERE!" I yelled with all the strength I had left. A sudden adrenaline rush filled my body, and I had energy. So much, as if I had been storing it and finally let it all out at once. I jumped from my position on the ground and ran to the bolted metal door, pounding on it as hard as I could. I could feel the bruises forming on my hands as bare flesh collided with rock-hard steel, but I didn't care.

I actually had hope we would make it.

I heard footsteps running through the house, until finally they stopped. I continued my pounding and yelling, until finally I heard the most amazing sound in the world to me.

"Who is in there?" A man with a rough voice called.

"Troy… Troy Bolton!" I replied.

"And is Gabriella Montez in there with you?" A female voice asked.

"No."

"Very well. We'll break down the door then head off to search for her once you have been tended to. Please, stand back." Before I could protest, a large banging was heard. Frightened, I cowered back to the far corner of the room, distancing myself from the door. After what seemed to take forever, I heard a smashing sound, and the metal door was finally pushed open. Several police officers ran into the room, and one female came carefully towards me.

"There's no need to be scared, honey. We're here to help you." I nodded. No matter what she said, I wouldn't fully trust strangers for a while.

"Ok son, can you please tell us the last time you saw Gabriella?" a male officer now asked. He looked like he belonged in a Modeling Agency then he did as a part of the force, but I decided not to comment on it.

"I don't know. They separated us a little while ago. I don't know how long ago."

"And the kidnappers."

"Ran."

"I see." The woman scribbled in her notebook, before finally coming towards me. "We're going to take you to the ambulance now, treat you for shock and lack of nutrition. You'll be better in no time. Just come with me…"

"NO! I need to find Gabriella first!" I yelled, and ran out of the room, dodging the many men trying to block my path. As I entered the hallway, and stood in shock at the view before me.

Priceless vases, countless painting and gold paneling surrounded me. The house was practically made of gold. The man must have had money.

I remembered the officers who were probably scrambling out of the room in an attempt to catch me, so I hurried down the hallway, opening every door. It was then that I finally came to one that was locked.

Who would lock a door when they weren't home, unless they wanted to keep the contents inside a secret?

I grabbed the nearest vase and threw it against the lock.

Nothing.

I then grabbed the large shield that was hanging on the wall. There seemed to be a crest attached to it. The thought confused me.

Why on earth would any sane, 21st century man have a shield in their house?

I decided to ponder that later, and began smashing the shield against the bolted lock. After practically mutilating the shield, the bolt on the door finally broke down. I threw down the metal scraps and ran through the door. It was then that I saw her.

She was lying on a cot, similar to the one she had been on previously, but there were no blankets. Just her fragile, thin, sweater covered body. Her face was facing me, and I could already see how pale and sickly it looked, even without proper lighting. I walked up to her.

"Gabriella?" Her eyes slowly drifted open.

"Troy?" Her voice was weak, raspy and quiet.

"I'm here… I'm here." I ran up and grabbed her hand, putting my other hand against her forehead. She had a deadly high fever. "We have to get you out of here."

"H…how…how did you?"

"The police! They're here Brie! They're here!!!" I yelled. She smiled weakly at me.

"R…really?" The then coughed. I was positive her sickness had gotten worse.

"Yup. They should be here soon. I kind of ran away from them, so now they just have to figure out in which direction I ran." She looked at me questioning, so I decided to save her voice from asking the question.

"I wanted to find you, but they wanted to get me checked out. As you can see, I'm fine."

"Y…you…you're…skinnier." She commented. I smirked.

"Says the girl lying on a cot sick, and practically skin and bones." I then looked at her seriously. "Honestly, Brie. How are you?" She sighed.

"I…I feel pretty bad."

"Well…we'll get you to a doctor." Then, the female officer and her entourage of male officers ran into the room.

"Don't do that again! You could have been hu…" she stopped mid-sentence when she saw whose hand I was holding. "Is that?"

"Yup. Brie, these are the people who are going to take care of you." She nodded.

"Hi." She said quietly.

"Hello Gabriella, can you please tell us some information?" Before Gabriella could respond, I cut in.

"Officers, she is sick, had been for a long time now, and I think it would be best if she was checked out at a hospital before you questioned her." I swiftly picked Gabriella up in my arms to make a point.

"Very well." The female officer said. It was from this angle that I finally noticed her flame red hair but again, I didn't dwell on it. I could feel Gabriella's body shaking against mine, her skin all clammy and pale. I ran out of the room, officers close behind me, and attempted to navigate my way through the mess of corridors. Finally, once of the officers took charge and led the way.

"It's okay Gabriella. You rest. We'll get you to safety soon!"

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**Sharpay's P.O.V**

Again, the phone rang. For the first time in my life, I was actually scared to answer. Me, the girl who practically lived with her phone attached to her ear, finally had a phone call she did not want to have.

I would finally hear what happened to Gabriella, what condition she was in… if she was even alive. That was…if they even had the right place.

I finally got all my nerves together and picked up the fluffy pink phone.

"Hello." I held my breath as I awaited what happened next. Speakerphone had already been set, and the group of people was all hording around the small coffee table, waiting to hear news on each of their "leaders".

"_We found them. The kidnappers had fled, and locked them in two separate rooms deep inside the mansions."_

"And. How are they?"

"_Troy Bolton seems to be in perfect shape, besides his lack of nutrition these past couple of weeks." _I heard the boys breathe a sigh of relief.

"And Gabriella?"

"_Her condition is more… serious. It seems she was infected with an illness early on into the kidnapping, and is had developed more and more serious from there. She is currently being rushed to Phoenix Memorial Hospital where she will be treated right away." _Of course Gabriella gets hurt while Troy walks out without a bruise on his perfect body. Typical.

"So Troy is going to come home while Gabriella is taken care of, correct?"

"_No. Mr. Bolton has insisted that he ride with her to the hospital. Hasn't let go of her hand since he found her."_

"But they hate each other." Chad exclaimed. His eyes were fuming. As if it was so bad for Troy and Gabriella to actually be civil with one another.

"_Not from what I saw. He was whispering comforting words to her, stoking her hair and reassuring her. He refused to leave her side at all until he knew exactly what was going on with her." _Chad's hand turned into fists.

"Thank you officer for informing us. We'll meet you at Phoenix Memorial Hospital as soon as possible." I hung up.

"And how exactly do you propose we get there?" Chad asked, still fuming.

"Private Jet." He just nodded once. "Why are you so mad?"

"Troy is associating with the enemy!" Chad yelled.

"Is that so bad? They have been through a terrible experience together, they can at least be friends."

"He's treating her like his girlfriend. He's supposed to hate her." Zeke said.

"It's not right. He can't like her." Ryan added.

"So what are you going to do about it?" Kelsi asked.

"I'm going to put a stop to it." Chad yelled, grabbing his coat and storming out of the room.

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**AN: OMG!!! What do you guys think? Did I write the scene well? Please tell me.**

**Oh, and Chad is unhappy that Troy and Gabriella are "together". Expect a huge Troy/Chad confrontation coming up in the next chapter!!! **

**Review if you want more. And please tell me if you were pleased with how I wrote this part.**

**Xoxo,**

**Lar**


	12. Confrontation

**Chapter 11 – Confrontation**

**AN: WOW! Thank you so much for all of the reviews!!! I can't believe it. It's amazing!!! It really made my day when you reviewed so much for me! UHH!!! It made me want to finish up this chapter as soon as possible and update the story for you all! I love you guys so much!**

**And, the Troy/Chad confrontation will be today, so get excited! I will try to make my chapters longer for you guys, but I'm sorry if they are sometimes short. The last chapter was 7 pages on word, the longest chapter I have ever written, and I will try to make them at least 5 pages per chapter. Okay?**

**Anyway…here's the next chapter.**

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**Troy's P.O.V**

I waited in the hospital room, wanting to know exactly what was going on. Gabriella had been admitted five hours ago, and still I didn't know what was going on. I had called my parents, who were so relieved to hear from me, and told them where I was. They promised that they would be there in a couple of hours, and seeing as I was in an entirely different state than them I understood. However, it couldn't take five hours to get from New Mexico to Phoenix, especially if they were coming by plane like they said.

Just when I felt that I couldn't wait any longer, they finally arrived.

"Oh Troy! Oh my baby you're safe!" My mom yelled as she ran towards me and hugged me. She refused to let go, and began stroking my hair just like she did when I was a child. It felt good to finally be in her arms. My father then squeezed me tightly, and told me never to do that to him again. Then, my mother's worried side came out.

"Are you okay son? You're so skinny! Did they check you out? Why don't they give you something to eat?"

"It's fine mom. They already checked me out, gave me liquids and food, and said I had a mild case of malnutrition and that I'll be fine. They are giving me some vitamin supplements to get my strength back. I'll be healthy as a horse in no time."

"Oh that's wonderful. I'm so glad you are okay. I don't know what I would have done if something happened to you." I sighed. That is how I felt about a certain brunette who was currently in the emergency room.

The door was thrown open, and my friend ran into the room. Chad gave me a huge hug and ruffled my hair, but I could tell by how he was acting that he was hiding something. And it wasn't good. Chad never hid things from me, so either it was a really serious thing that he wanted to tell me in private, or it was something to do with me. I hoped it wasn't the latter.

The rest of the gang came up to me and greeted me. Then, I saw people I never expected to see. Sharpay Evans, in all her drama-queen glory, was standing before me, stiletto heels pounding on the ground anxiously. Beside her, Taylor McKessie was standing with a worried expression, a timid Kelsi Neilson beside her. It was then that I realized they were here to see Gabriella.

And my heart broke at that moment.

How were they supposed to find out that I made it out of there okay, and their best friend, their leader, was sick in the hospital. They would hate me, and for some reason, the thought of that frightened me.

"So son, what do you say we get out of here and rest up at a motel? Tomorrow we'll drive back home, okay?" What? But, I needed to stay with Gabriella. I needed to know what was wrong with her.

"No."

"No? You want to go home right now?" They could sure be dense sometimes.

"No, mom. I don't want to leave at all."

"What, why?" I saw Chad watch me carefully as he awaited my answer. Before I could give my reply, the door to the room flung open.

"Where is she? Where is my baby?" Mrs. Montez yelled as she ran into the room. Her usually perfect makeup was smeared down her cheeks, her designer coat a mess. It was known at East High that Mrs. Montez was very concerned with her appearance and her place in society, to the point where she would sometimes neglect to take care of Gabriella, heading off all over the world to various social events. I didn't know much about the situation, but I knew enough to know that the tears that were coming down her cheek were only party genuine, and partly her acting skills. Her mother probably only wanted Gabriella safe to maintain the image of a perfect family, which seemed hard to do seeing as her husband was gone.

"We don't know, Mrs. Montez. They haven't said anything." Taylor said. Mrs. Montez looked around the room frantically, when she finally set her eyes on me. She walked over to me, and I braced myself for what was to come. I didn't know what to expect from the mother of the girl who had been taken hostage with me.

"You. You're Troy Bolton, right?" I nodded. "You were kidnapped from the school as well, am I correct?" Again, I nodded. "What happened to my daughter?" For the first time in my life, I felt self-conscious. I was always the popular guy in school, used to having every eye on me as I walked down the hallway. However, while the people in the hospital were watching me, I felt like crawling into a hole and cowering away.

"Well… Gabriella got very sick while we were there. I have no clue what she has, but I tried to help her. I honestly did, Mrs. Montez. Once we were separated, there was nothing I could do anymore. I haven't heard anything since we arrived here." The over-dramatic anxious mother nodded, her eyes solemn. For the first time in since Mrs. Montez arrived in the hospital, I saw concern in her eyes for her daughter.

"Well, we have to find out." She said, and stormed off towards the information desk. I sighed. I felt my mother wrap her arms around me, and sat me down on the plush leather chair.

"Is that why you don't want to go? You want to see if Gabriella is okay?" I nodded. "That's nice."

"I thought you hated her?" my dad asked. Of course, as the basketball coach and gym teacher at East High, he would know all of the gossip that swept through the hallways. This made him no stranger to the divisions that existed in the school, and the many screaming matches that had occurred during the school year.

"Not anymore. Things change dad, especially after what happened." I noticed again, Chad's facial expression was not one of a happy person, but rather that of a furious person. After I found out what was going on with Gabriella, I would have to find out what was happening to Chad.

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It felt like hours as we all waited for news on Gabriella. Countless doctors and nurses had come into the waiting room, calling out names of patients, and even though we wish every time that it was Gabriella's name, that never happened. There were mixed feelings in the room.

Some people, like Gabriella's mom and some of Gabriella's friends, wanted to know how Gabriella was, as soon as possible.

Others, like my groups of friends, seemed to not care what was wrong with her, and were just waiting for a polite excuse to leave the hospital. Chad was probably at the top of this list.

And me? I didn't know how I was feeling. On one had, I wanted to now how she was, what exactly was wrong with her. On the other hand, I was nervous as to what that would be. Would she be seriously sick? Was it just a small flu that could be cured with antibiotics and chicken soup? I feared the answer. Gabriella's condition had not been good when she arrived here, and no matter how much I hoped, I knew that most likely she had more than a common cold.

Finally, the tension in the hospital room was relieved.

"Family and friends of Gabriella Montez?"

Instantly Mrs. Montez was out of her seat and ran towards the doctor. My parents and I followed, as did Gabriella's friends. My friends, however, decided that it would be better to sit in the chairs to hear the news.

"What's wrong with my daughter?" Mrs. Montez asked.

"Well, it seems that your daughter has a severe case of pneumonia. Gabriella has gone into septic shock, and we are monitoring her condition with machines. We are administrating intravenous fluids and medications to try to keep her blood pressure from dropping to low. Hopefully this will help her condition improve."

"Sir, how severe exactly is her pneumonia?" Mrs. Montez asked. The doctor's face fell slightly. He probably hoped he wouldn't have to explain what exactly it was.

"Well, she will need hospitalization in the intensive care unit for some time. We are currently keeping a close watch on her liver and kidney, because if the bacteria spread any farther she could develop some damage in those areas." Everyone went silent, and we were probably all thinking the same question. I stepped up and asked.

"What exactly is her survival rate?" The doctor again shifted her eyes away from ours.

"Well, you see, it's not that bad…" He was interrupted.

"One in every twenty people die in America each year. And Gabriella's case is severe, most likely she was infected by _Streptococcus pneumoniae_, am I right?" The doctor nodded his head. "Which means that Gabriella's chances are even lower." Of course Taylor would know the answer. She was the wiz in biology in school, and it was common knowledge that she hoped to become a doctor once she left the hospital. However, her information was not reassuring.

"Doctor, is this true?" Mrs. Montez asked.

"Well…" he was given a stern look from most of the people in the room, "Yes."

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After the news was given, we were told that Gabriella would be quarantined for the next 24 hours, until they were sure she was no longer contagious. Once that happened, we would be able to visit her. I had convinced my parents that I needed to stay and see her, and so my parents left for their motel. I insisted that I would sit with Mrs. Montez in the waiting room, and after much persuasion my parents agreed. Sharpay Evans was staying as well, while Taylor, Ryan, Zeke and Kelsi were taken to a motel with my parents. I had no clue where Chad had run off.

"I'm just going to grab something to drink from the cafeteria. Do you want anything?" I asked Mrs. Montez.

"Yes dear. Would you mind getting me a cup of coffee? Two milk, one sugar please." I nodded, and headed down the corridor. As I walked down towards the elevators, I bumped into someone.

"Sorry, I…" I saw that it was Chad that I had bumped into. "Hey man, I was wondering where you ran off to." He looked at me, his brown eyes boring into my face. "Hey, what's up?"

"What's up? Are you seriously asking me that question?"

"What do you mean?" Chad grabbed my arm and dragged me off to a small hallway that was deserted, probably so nobody could her us. "What exactly happened while you were kidnapped?"

"I told you already what I went through there, nothing has changed."

"Oh yeah? You failed to mention something in your explanation." I looked at him confused.

"What do you mean?"

"What exactly happened between you and Montez while you were there." I gulped. Chad had been the one in the beginning who told me to deal with Gabriella. He told me that I should right up start fighting her, to show her she couldn't control me. He was the alcohol being pouring in my flame of anger towards her, always telling me things about Gabriella to make me angrier with her. I now realized why he was so angry when he arrived in the waiting room.

He didn't like that I was actually caring for Gabriella.

"While we were there, we went through a terrible ordeal. I think it's quite normal for you to change your opinion of somebody after experiencing what we did?"

"Enough to actually like the person."

"Yes. So what if I like her? It's not like there's anything wrong with her. Besides, wouldn't it be natural for a school's prince and princess to get along?"

"NO! Not if that prince and princess had been fighting for years! You can't just all of a sudden forgive her for everything she's done just because you were kidnapped for a couple of days!" Now I was furious. He had no right to question my and Gabriella's relationship, especially if he didn't know what went on there.

"Well you're WRONG! Okay! Gabriella, she's different! She and I actually had civil conversations, in between worrying about what those men were going to do to us next of course, and I learned that she's a normal person! She's kind, and sweet, and she just knows how to make a person smile!" I was panting heavily, and then I realized that I let out too much information, and Chad figured it out.

"You LIKE her? You LIKE, like her? How can this be happening? What did she do, put you under some exotic spell?" My knuckles tensed up.

"NO! After talking to her for a long time, I realized she was actually a great person! While taking care of her, I realized I felt something for her. Then, after we kissed, I knew that what I felt was strong, and that she felt it too. I LOVE HER! Okay? I said it. I LOVE GABRIELLA MONTEZ!" Chad's eyes widened in shock. Me and my big mouth.

"You, LOVE HER? Like actual HEAD OVER HEALS IN LOVE WITH HER???" Here it comes. "HOW CAN YOU LOVE YOUR ENEMY? IT'S JUST NOT RIGHT!"

"MY ENEMY? I'M STARTING TO THINK THAT YOU WERE THE ONE MAKING THIS A HUGE ISSUE ALL ALONG??" Chad gripped the front of my shirt, his fists practically tearing the fabric as he pulled me towards him.

"IT'S NOT RIGHT! THINK OF THE SCHOOL! THE SOCIAL ORDER! YOU CAN'T JUST CHANGE IT ALL NOW!"

"WELL I AM!" I calmed down a bit, and got my thoughts clearer. "When Gabriella gets out of here, which she will, I am going to ask her to be my girlfriend. When we get back to school, the fighting is going to stop, and maybe the school can become a normal place to be instead of a battleground. And you know what Chad? There's nothing you can do about it." Chad released his grip on my shirt, and I stepped back from him, a smirk on my face. For the first time in my life, I had actually told my feelings out loud, and it felt good. Chad's shocked face stared back at me.

"You have to choose, Bolton. Me or her?" I though long and hard about this proposition. Chad had always been there for me, and had been my best friend for a long time. Yet, there was something in my heart that was pushing toward Gabriella. I knew the decision I had to make.

"Gabriella." Chad stared at me, his eyes fuming with anger.

Then, before I knew it, I felt a fist collide with my cheek, the pressure knocking me into the wall behind me.

My best friend since kindergarten, the boy who was practically like my brother, had done a first in our relationship.

He had punched me.

Never have we ever fought. We always dealt with things by keeping space for a little while, and then one of us would get bored and go to the other to make up. Our fights were always over in at least two days.

Somehow, I doubted that this would be the same.

The world began collapsing around me.

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**AN: WOW! I hope that you got the confrontation you expected, but I also wanted you to know what was going on with Gabriella. Next chapter I will most likely be focusing on Gabriella and maybe a bit with Troy's feelings about Chad, but definitely mostly Gabriella and Troy.**

**Please, review if you want to get the next chapter!**

**Xoxo,**

**Lar**


	13. Together

**Chapter 12 – Together**

**AN: HEY! AMAZING reviews for the last chapter! I'm really sorry that I haven't updated in a long time but I had many things going on, including the fact that my laptop had multiple virus's and that I had a ton of things I needed to get through. I'm sorry I didn't update quickly but I am going to be very busy this holiday season. Please bear with me!**

**Anyway… please read this chapter and review at the end! The number of reviews I have gotten is phenomenal. Simple fantastic! Please can we keep that going?**

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**Troy's P.O.V**

I was still in shock as I headed back to the waiting room. My best friend and me had finally had a huge fight, over a girl that I used to despise. I couldn't believe it! I was barely focusing and almost spilled the coffee that was in my hand.

When I finally got back to the waiting room, Mrs. Montez was sitting there.

"Here you go." I said in a monotone voice.

"Thank you dear." She paused, taking a sip. "Ah. Just the way I like it. You did well, son." She looked at me, and must have seen my downhearted face. "Hey, are you okay?"

"Uhh. Yeah. Just worrying about Gabriella, that's all." She nodded, believing it.

"Right. Well, I have to go fix my makeup, so you just wait here." She got up, grabbed her designer bag, and headed off towards the washrooms. Why would someone need makeup in a hospital, while they were waiting for their daughter's diagnosis? It didn't make any sense.

I waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Mrs. Montez finally came back from her trip to the washroom. I continued waiting in the waiting room.

Finally a nurse came up to Mrs. Montez and me.

"Hello. Are you guys here for Gabriella Montez?" She asked. We nodded. "Great! Umm… she can see visitors now." Had it really been 24-hours already?

"Sure. How many visitors at a time?"

"Two. We try to keep the patients stress level, and the noise, to a minimum. Also, you two will need to put on a mask and gloves, just to be safe. Would you two follow me..."

"Oh, I think that Mrs. Montez should have some time alone with her daughter." Mrs. Montez clapped me on my back.

"Nonsense. You've done more for her than anyone has. You deserve to see her the most." I nodded. We followed the overly chipper nurse down the corridor until we finally came to a room. The woman handed each of us a facemask and rubber gloves.

"Here it is! Just, buzz if you need anybody. Okay?"

"Okay." We responded together. She nodded and skipped down the corridor. In my opinion, she was probably more suited as one of Santa's elves than a nurse.

"Mrs. Montez, you go in first." She nodded, and opened the door. I followed, and the sight brought tears to my eyes.

Gabriella was lying in the bed, looking as fragile as a porcelain doll. Her usually tan skin was pale white, and many beeping machines that were hooked up to almost every inch of her body surrounded her. Her body looked clammy, so she probably had a high fever. I couldn't believe how sick she looked.

"Hey baby girl, how are you?" Mrs. Montez said as she headed towards the bed.

"M…mami?" She asked.

"Si, hija." The mother said. I didn't realize that Gabriella spoke Spanish, and found it very intriguing.

"T…Troy?" Gabriella's frail voice caught my attention. I turned to look at her, and our eyes locked. I ran to the other side of the bed, and grasped her tiny hand.

"Hey Brie, how are you?"

"Don't f…feel to gr…great, but at least I'm not d…dead, right?" I laughed.

"You're right."

"Aren't I al…ways?" I was glad to see that our playful relationship was still intact.

"Hija." Mrs. Montez tapped Gabriella on the shoulder. Gabriella turned to face her mom.

"Si, mami?"

"¿Es él su novio? **[Is he your boyfriend?]**" Gabriella looked shocked, then blushed.

"¡Ninguna mamá! **[No mom!]**" She replied back, almost embarrassed.

"El chico está enamorado de usted. No saldría en todo. **[That boy is in love with you. He wouldn't leave at all.]**" Gabriella rolled her eyes.

"Mami…" Gabriella said with a stern look on her face.

"¡Bueno! ¡Bueno! **[Okay! Okay!]**" She replied, and then looked at me. "I'm going to leave for a little while, leave you guys a little time to catch up. Have a good time!" She said, and Gabriella's face turned a deep scarlet. Mrs. Montez left the room, and there was an awkward silence in the room. Finally, I tried to break it.

"So, you speak Spanish, huh?"

"Yeah. It was my first language. Been speaking it every since." After she had been talking, I could hear that her voice was getting stronger. It was probably weak because it hadn't been used.

"It sounds, cool! Almost, exotic."

"Yeah." She replied.

"What were you two talking about?" Gabriella's face turned scarlet, yet again. She began fiddling with her fingers.

"My mom just asked me a question."

"Which was?" She was not going to get away with it.

"Umm…shewantedtoknowifyouweremyboyfriend." She rapidly replied.

"I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that." Gabriella sighed.

"She wanted to know, if you were my boyfriend." She finally said.

"And you said?"

"No. But then she told me you were in love with me because you wouldn't leave the hospital." Okay, now it was my time to blush.

"She really said that?" Gabriella nodded. "Wow."

"Yeah." Things were silent again. "Is it true?"

"What?"

"Do you love me?" I looked down.

"Well, yeah." I said. I felt Gabriella's frail fingers lift my chin up and I looked her straight in the eyes.

"Troy. That's nothing to be ashamed of. I feel the same way."

"Really?"

"Si." She said. I laughed, and we settled into a comfortable silence.

"So, do you know how my friends are?" She asked.

"Yeah. They have been waiting for you to wake up. Turns out that our sets of friends actually worked together and waiting together for news on us."

"Really? So, are they friends now?" I sighed.

"No." She looked at me questioning.

"What are you hiding from me?"

"You know you can really read me well."

"Troy." She said, looking at me sternly. "What are you trying to hide from me?" I had to tell her. Surprisingly, I couldn't keep anything away from her.

"You see, Chad and I got into a bit of a… disagreement. He doesn't like the fact that I'm close to you."

"Oh."

"But it doesn't matter. I told him that you meant more to me than anything, and that I would pick you over him any day." Gabriella's eyes seemed to light up.

"You really said that?"

"Of course. Brie, I learned just how important you are while we were trapped there. I don't know what I would do without you." I pushed a small piece of hair behind her ears. "I don't care about Chad, or Zeke, or any of the students at East High. All that matters is you and me. That is… if you want that?"

"I do. I am a bit unsure of how Sharpay is going to react to the news of us, but I'm sure Kelsi will stick by me." I smiled.

"You're willing to give up your popularity, just for me?" She laughed.

"You're willing to do the exact same thing."

"Touché." We both burst out into giggles.

"What are you two laughing at?" I turned to see my parents standing at the door.

"Hey Mr. Bolton! Mrs. Bolton."

"Hello dear, how are you feeling?" My mom asked as she walked towards Gabriella and gave her a hug. It was an odd scene, my mother hugging my old enemy, but somehow it felt right.

"I'm alright. I still cough a bit, and the nurse says I have to stay on these medications for a little while because of my liver and such, but honestly… I just want to get out of here."

"I'm sure you do. It's tough being in a hospital. All those nurses and sick patients, it would just freak me out."

"It freaks us all out." My dad said as he came behind my mom and wrapped his arms around her. "It's good to see you, Miss Montez."

"Hi coach!" Gabriella said waving. Gabriella's mom soon entered the room, and it became a peaceful room filled with laughter, happiness, and all worries being pushed aside. My family and Gabriella's family interacting felt like it was natural, and I was surprised to see the bond that my mom and her mom instantly formed.

It felt right to be together with Gabriella and her family.

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"_Dude, what did you say to Chad?" _Jason asked.

"It's not important. Why?"

"_He's furious. Refuses to talk to any of the girls, and is really yelling at Sharpay. It seems like they have their own hatred for one another, just like you and Montez."_

"Her name is Gabriella. And we have actually overlooked our differences and become friends."

"_AHA! I knew there was a reason Chad was mad! How could you Troy? We hate her!"_

"Well I don't. She's nice, and sweet, and I can't fight with her anymore."

"_Dude, you got problems. Falling for your enemy? It's just not right. I think…" _I hung up. I didn't need to get another lecture from Jason.

The news to Gabriella's and my relationship did not go well with our friends. As Gabriella predicted, Sharpay was livid and refused to talk to Gabriella until 'she got back to her senses'. Zeke found out from Chad and sent me an angry text about it. Taylor is siding with Sharpay on this, and apparently so is Jason. Gabriella was also right in stating that Kelsi would be the only one that would support us.

The doctor came into the room to tell Gabriella some news.

The good news: her liver and kidney were no longer in danger and she would be free to leave the hospital in three days after some tests were run.

The bad news: we would have to face East High in four.

This obstacle we would overcome, together.

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**AN: SORRY! I am so sorry it took so long for this chapter to come out, but I have been incredibly busy. Also, a close friend of the families just died and so I have to go to her funeral and such. I will try to get the next chapters out for you as soon as possible!**

**Next chapter: Gabriella and Troy face East High.**

**Review if you want the next chapter!**

**Xoxo,**

**Lar**


	14. Prince Loves the Princess

**Chapter 13 – Prince Loves the Princess**

**AN: Great amount of reviews for the last chapter! I'm really glad that you guys are enjoying the story! I'm sorry for the lack of updates, but I really have been trying. I have just been SO busy that I have had barely any time to sit down at the computer and write out a chapter for you guys. Believe me, I have tons of papers scattered all over the place with ideas of what is to come next. Please just bare with me and I will try to get these chapters out to you as soon as possible.**

**MERRY CHRISTMAS! I hope you guys had an amazing Christmas with your families and friends! This chapter is dedicated to all of you! I hope you all got exactly what you wished for. Unfortunately, I didn't get Zac Efron as I had hoped, but my birthday is in two months! Maybe then! Lol.**

**Here's the next chapter!**

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The hallway was silent.

Four days had passed since Gabriella was given the 'bill of health'.

One day had passed since Gabriella had been released from the hospital.

Today was the day that she was heading back to East High.

In those four days, Gabriella and Troy's relationship had grown and strengthened. Troy had taken off Thursday and Friday of school that week so he could spend more time with Gabriella, and then stayed over at Gabriella's house Sunday night, helping her get mentally prepared for the whirlwind of events that were going to happen on Monday. It would be their first time in East High since the kidnapping. And more importantly…

They were finally coming out as an official couple.

Since their 'friends' were no longer speaking to them, they had spent almost every moment of those four days together. Kelsi had also joined in, and the three had developed a very special friendship.

Unfortunately, they had been so cut of from the school society in those last four days, that they had no idea what was to come.

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**Troy's P.O.V**

I felt Gabriella grip my hand tighter as we stood in the doorway of East High. Whispers were immediately heard as the student body tried to figure out exactly what was going on.

East High's Prince, and Princess, were holding hands?

"Troy…"

"Shh… It's okay. They're just taking in the sight. I'm sure it will be okay." She sighed. I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her into my chest, loving the fact that every curve, every corner of her body seemed to fit perfectly into mine.

"Well, well, well. Look what we have here." I turned to see Chad walking towards me, Jason, Zeke and Ryan in tow. "It seems like East High's Prince has finally made an appearance." He then bore his eyes into Gabriella. "Ah. I see you finally got yourself a princess." Gabriella blushed and dug her face into my chest.

"Cut it out Chad."

"What? I'm just telling you the truth, Bolton." Ouch. Never had Chad called me Bolton. It was always Troy or Captain. Never by my last name.

"Chad. Cut…it…out!" I said forcefully.

"What? Can't take it, Bolton." He turned to face the crowd that was now building. "You see, people. Our precious _Prince _has gone soft on us. And for who? His supposed _enemy. _It seems that our _Captain _is no longer the strong person he was, but a _weakling._ All because of the precious _princess _that seems to be controlling his life." He turned back towards me. "And a weak prince can't rule a nation."

"What are you saying Chad?"

"I'm saying… that I am taking your crown. You will no longer be the prince of this school Bolton, for you are not fit to rule." He turned back towards the crowd. "_I _will be the new king." All the guys in the school seemed to cheer with Chad, while the girls were silent, disgusted looks plastered on their faces.

"Ha. Of course Chad Danforth thinks that he can all of a sudden take control because our precious princess is no longer fit to rule us." Sharpay came down the hallway with Taylor and a couple of dancers following behind her. Gabriella lifted her head from my chest when she heard her old friends voice.

"Shar?"

"Gabriella, I don't know what happened to you while you were gone, but you changed. And not for the better. You've joined the enemy, and for that, you have disgraced us." She turned her head and looked around me to see a shy and timid Kelsi. "Ah. Seems like you've abandoned us to, Kelsi. What a shame."

"I didn't abandon anybody. I did what was right."

"What was right? Ha, you're just as naïve as Gabriella here." She then came up to Chad and stood right in his face. "You, Danforth, have no right to declare yourself king." He smirked.

"Oh yeah? And what are you going to do about that, Evans?"

"If you are king, I officially declare myself the new queen." The girls in the hallway then cheered. Gabriella buried her face back into my chest, and together we backed into the wall, Kelsi beside us, watching as this strange event unfolded.

"Right. You wouldn't last two minutes."

"At least I have a brain in my head, instead of air."

"Ohh… that hurts Evans." Chad said in a mocking tone.

"See. I always knew you were sensitive, Danforth." They glared at one another, fire burning in their eyes, and finally the bell rang.

"We'll finish this another time." Chad stated.

"Fine." Sharpay said, and the two of them stormed off in different directions. Soon after, the hallways began to clear. Gabriella pulled away from my chest and looked up at me.

"What just happened?"

"It seems… that Chad and Sharpay have taken our places." Gabriella's face was horror-stricken.

"Does that mean… we were just as bad as them?" I nodded.

"Probably." She shuddered.

"That's terrible. I'm never going back to being like that again."

"Me neither."

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When we first entered the classroom, silence followed. Every single student stared at us. It was easy to tell that the classroom was still divided, and Chad and Sharpay were sitting in our usual seats. The only three left were in the middle, two in the very front and one right behind. The sight that caught us by surprise the most?

Mrs. Darbus actually had tears in here eyes.

"Oh my. Bolton said you would be coming back today." She said, and headed towards Gabriella and me. Kelsi had already taken a seat in the second row, leaving the two empty seats in the first row for the two of us.

Before we knew what was going on, two large arms were wrapped around the two of us.

"It's so good to see you two again." She said. She then turned and faced Gabriella. "Miss Montez, I heard exactly what happened to you and I must say, I don't know how I would have survived what you did." I looked and saw that there were many curious faces in the classroom. Apparently many didn't know what had happened when we were kidnapped.

"Honestly Mrs. Darbus, if it wasn't for Troy, I probably wouldn't be here."

"Ah yes, our hero Mr. Bolton. The doctors praised you a lot when they came to deliver a report on your conditions. I'm just glad that you were there to help Miss Montez."

"As am I." I responded.

"Well, I would love to talk more, but we do have a class to take care of." We nodded, and headed towards our seats.

Sure enough, Mrs. Darbus began her famous speech on the importance of Shakespeare and literature.

After two minutes of listening to the speech, I quickly scribbled something on a piece of paper, and gently passed it to Gabriella.

**So, what are you doing for lunch?**

**Xoxo, Troy**

She smirked, and wrote something on the paper, before tossing it lightly on my desk.

_Depends… Are you asking me out?_

_Love, Brie_

I laughed quietly.

**Maybe.**

**Xoxo, Troy**

We continued on our note, and much to my surprise, flirting.

_Well, what do you have in mind?_

_Love, Brie_

**It's a surprise. Just meet me at my locker, okay? I promise you won't be disappointed.**

**Xoxo, Troy**

_Is that a promise?_

_Love, Brie_

**Maybe. Just meet me there.**

**Xoxo, Troy**

_Fine. Luv ya!_

_Love, Brie_

**Same here.**

**Xoxo, Troy**

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The morning took forever to end, and as soon as the bell rang for lunch I was out of my chair and running down the hallway. As I got to my locker, I noticed that a familiar brunette was already waiting there.

"Hey."

"Hi Troy."

"You ready?" She nodded. Quickly, I opened my locked and grabbed the brown paper bag inside. Then, I reached for her hand, and together we walked down the hallway. Finally I led her to the doors that took you to the rooftop.

"What are we doing here?"

"You'll see. Just trust me." I said, and opened the door. Fresh air flowed through my nostrils, as well as a floral scent coming from the rooftop garden. We walked up the stairs and finally got to the room.

"Wow. Troy, this is beautiful."

"Just like you." I replied. I knew it was corny, but somehow it felt natural saying those kinds of things. I turned to see Gabriella blushing.

"Come on." I said, and pulled her towards a bench. Once we were both seated, I opened up the brown paper bag.

"What's in there?" Gabriella asked curiously.

"Lunch."

"Which is?"

"Lobster dipped in Melted Butter with a side of roasted potatoes."

"Troy…" Gabriella said, raising her eyebrow.

"Fine. Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches." She laughed.

"Sounds more reasonable."

Together, we dug into the 'gourmet' meal, talking and laughing the entire time. It seemed like we had never been enemies, but best friends our entire life. It was then that I realized that Gabriella and I shared a special connection.

Partly because of what we experienced together during the kidnapping.

And partly, because we were surprisingly so alike.

It felt good to have someone to talk to who understood me perfectly, and who could relate to me.

Like my other half.

"Troy?" Gabriella's voice broke my thoughts.

"Yeah?"

"Do you think that we'll ever get our friends back?" She was referring to Chad, Sharpay and the rest of our 'former' friends.

"I don't know."

"I hope so. I don't know how long I'll be able to stand being the 'loner' of the school. I mean, I don't want everyone to stare at me and worship me like they did before. I just don't want the whispers, and the rumours. That stuff, I don't think I'll be able to handle."

Unknowingly, Gabriella had just revealed the exact fears that were in my heart.

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**AN: Well, what do you think? I am sorry it took so long to get this chapter out, and I am working my hardest to get the next one out of this and "Fate Works in Strange Ways". I am sorry it is taking so long, and I love how understanding you all are being.**

**So, what do you think about Chad and Sharpay taking Gabriella and Troy's place? Does it add a little drama to the story? I promise they will be friends at the end of the story.**

**Or will they?**

**It's all in my power. Lol.**

**Anyway, please tell me what you think, and review for the next chapter. Can we maybe beat how many people reviewed for the last chapter? Pretty please, like a late Christmas gift for me?**

**Review, review, review!**

**Xoxo,**

**Lar**


	15. Warning

**Chapter 14 – Warning**

**AN: Hey guys…how are all of you doing? I'm doing okay. Unfortunately, I don't think that the virus in my computer has been completely fixed, and so I am waiting to get a hold of a computer genius I know who can tell me if I still have an infected computer. If that happens, then I will have to ship my computer away and pray that everything I have will not be completely deleted.**

**I still save all of my stories on a separate USB, and hopefully if that happens I will still be able to update for you guys.**

**I know that the last chapter was a tad boring, but I was a little disappointed in the amount of reviews. Oh well.**

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**Troy's P.O.V**

It seemed like we were completely isolated from the school community.

Gabriella, Kelsi and I now sat at a completely deserted table in the cafeteria, in the farthest corner. Fortunately, three students have now come to join us, saying that they didn't agree with what was going on and they just wanted peace in the school. Their names were Samantha, Jackson and Tim.

"What did you guys think of that math test?" Tim asked.

"Killer." Samantha, Jackson and Kelsi responded at the same time.

"I thought it was okay." I said. We all then turned to Gabriella.

"I thought it was easy." She said blushing.

"Uh… of course _you_ would." Samantha teased. I wrapped my arm around Gabriella's shoulder, and she leaned in to my chest.

"Well, I would hate it Gabriella ever lost her brains." I kissed her on the forehead.

"Aww…you're so adorable together!" Kelsi said.

"Nah. Troy here just wants to get homework help." Tim remarked. We all laughed.

"No!" Troy said defensively. "Brie wouldn't be Brie if she didn't have her brains!"

We continued on talking throughout lunch. It was surprising how close of a friendship I had with Tim, almost like my one with Chad. We bonded quickly, and I felt like I could tell him anything. Soon, lunchtime ended, and we walked towards our classes after lunch.

After the kidnapping incident, I requested to have all classes with Gabriella, just to keep her with me at all times. Of course Mr. Matsui, who felt sorry for what he believes he caused, granted my request.

Gabriella, Tim and I were heading off to Science, and Kelsi, Jackson and Samantha were off to drama.

"See you guys later" Gabriella called to the three of them, and we walked into our classroom. Sharpay was sitting in the corner, her new posse sitting around her. Gabriella looked nervous as she walked in, ad I grabbed her hand securely, squeezing it reassuringly. She looked up at me and smiled.

We took our familiar seats at the front of the classroom just as Chad and his 'boys' were walking into the room. Before he could say anything, Mr. Sawyer came in and began the class.

Just as we were getting into the room, a knock was heard on the door. In the doorway appeared the two officers who had been on our case, Ginger and the Supermodel guy.

"Can I help you?" Mr. Sawyer asked.

"Yes." Ginger replied. "We would like to talk to your class for a bit. If that's alright, of course."

"Yes, come right in." The two did so, smiling gently at us as they walked to the front of the classroom.

"Hello guys. Some of you many recognize us, and for others, we are the two main officers who were assigned to the case of the… tragic kidnapping that occurred a little while back. We would just like to talk to you a little about safety precautions."

"Security has been placed all around the school, including cameras and alarm systems. All entrances to the school will be locked during the day, and you are no longer allowed to leave school property, or the school building at all, during lunch and free period." Groans were heard in the classroom as Ginger explained the circumstances.

"Also," Mr. Underwear Model continued, "Avoid being alone in the hallways. Try to remain in partners, or even more preferable, big groups. If anyone does get into the school, they will probably avoid targeting large groups, because there is more of a change that the office and police will get there quicker."

"Why are you doing all of this?" I heard Sharpay's voice ask from the back of the classroom.

"Yeah. I know I never agree with Evans, but come on… no leaving school at all? That's bogus!" Chad exclaimed.

"It's not like the kidnappers are still out there, right? They were caught and are in jail." The two officers looked down. "Right?"

"Um, Troy." I looked up to look Ginger in the eye, and felt Gabriella place her hand in mine and squeeze it gently, just as I had earlier. "Do you remember when you last saw the men that kept you there?"

"Yeah… the day, uh, that Gabriella and I were… separated." That was the first major detail that I had given out to the school about the kidnapping. It was not a comfortable subject to talk about, and I avoided that at all possible. Because of that, barely anything was known about Gabriella's and my experience, and I planned to keep it as quiet as possible.

"Gabriella?" I heard Gabriella gulp before she answered.

"I, uh, had a hard time focusing once we were separated. They could have come in, and I just didn't… hear them." The officer nodded.

"That's understandable. It's not like you were in a completely healthy state."

"Officer, what's going on here?" I heard Sharpay ask again. The rest of the classroom, including Mr. Sawyer, was silent. They were waiting to hear what the officers had to say.

"Well, we're not sure how long the kidnappers had to escape, but it seems like they had a good while to hide their tracks. We can't get a location on where they are, and there have been no tips as to their location." They were still out there? What were they going to do, hide for the rest of their lives? Then I realized something.

They were probably plotting revenge. I gulped.

The classroom went into frenzy, everybody going crazy about the fact that the men who had broken into the school a little while ago could be coming back. I turned to see Gabriella in tears, sobs wracking through her tiny body. I got out of my seat and swept her up in my arms, rocking her gently as she cried into my shirt.

"Guys! Quiet down!" Mr. Sawyer yelled as he got to the front of the classroom. "This is a learning area, not a zoo!" He then looked at Gabriella and me. "Mr. Bolton, please take Miss Montez out into the hallway where you can talk more with the officers. This must be hard on you both." I nodded, and lifted Gabriella into my arms as I walked out the door.

I could have sworn that Sharpay actually had a guilty and worried expression on her face as I walked out of the classroom.

"Troy, are you going to be okay?" I turned to see Ginger staring at us.

"I didn't have a tough experience there, it was Gabriella. Why didn't you tell us more privately?" I spat at them.

"We just wanted to ward the classroom."

"Well, you could have warned Gabriella and me first. Get us prepared for the news beforehand! She has had nightmares about this, and now you are springing on us that it could be true!" I continued to rock Gabriella in my arms, and her shaking body felt like it was slowly calming down. I kissed her gently on the head.

"Mr. Matsui said it would be better if we informed everyone at the same time."

"Mr. Matsui is the one who got us in this problem in the first place!" I yelled. Footsteps were heard down the hallway, and I saw my father coming towards us.

"What's going on here?" he asked. "Troy, what's wrong with Gabriella?"

"Dad. They haven't been found." I felt choked up.

"Who?"

"The kidnappers." Mr. Underwear replied.

"Well, why are you standing here telling us? Shouldn't you be on the look for them instead?"

"We just came to warn the students to be careful."

"Well, you've done your job, so you may leave now." My dad continued.

"We just have one more thing to say to Gabriella and Troy." Gabriella lifted her head off my chest, and turned to face the officers. I wrapped my arm securely around her waist, and pulled her closer into me. She lay her head on my shoulder, and I could see her red puffy eyes and tear-stained cheeks.

"Go ahead." I said angrily. I knew I was being rude to the officers, but after the news we had just gotten, I was surprised I wasn't throwing things.

"Well, you two were the ones that had been kidnapped."

"Yes?"

"By now, they probably know that you made it out of the mansion, and have told their story to the police."

"So?"

"This means –" Gabriella cut her off.

"T…hat they w…will blame us for c…causing the p…p…police to come after them."

"Exactly. You two are probably their most wanted targets." My father's face went pale, and I was sure that mine reflected his the same way.

"You two have to be on watch all the time. Never go out alone, get your parents to drive you to and from school, do anything to be in the sight of an adult at all time. I know that is not your ideal, but it is important that you are kept under tight watch, at least until the kidnappers are caught."

"You two keep on the lookout. Any mysterious encounters you have, report to us immediately." I nodded, unable to speak.

For a while I had nightmares similar to Gabriella's that the kidnappers would come back. I just prayed that I was wrong, and that they had already been caught.

As the days went by and we still heard nothing from the authorities, my hopes began to diminish.

And now, my nightmare was beginning to come true.

The kidnappers were still out there.

Searching for Gabriella and me.

Even in the comforts of our school, our neighbourhood, our own home, we were not safe.

We were the main targets for two vicious kidnappers, kidnappers who were out to get revenge on us for surviving their plan in the first place.

We were not safe at all.

---------

**AN: oh, cliffy! Lol. I'm probably making a lot of drama in this story to make up for the fact that "Fate Works in Strange Ways" has barely any drama. Evening out the scales, you could say.**

**I hope you like the idea I have for this story. Please, tell me what you think. The amount of reviews seems to be getting lower and lower, unlike "Fate Works in Strange Ways", in which the reviews have skyrocketed. It's fascinating!**

**But please, I would appreciate if you guys reviewed and told me what you think!**

**Review for the next chapter!**

**Xoxo,**

**Lar**


	16. Nightmares

**Chapter 15 – Nightmares**

**AN: I am posting this chapter a day later to wish all of you a very HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Thank you for all of the reviews I have gotten and for making my first every year at Fanfiction a wonderful experience. And don't worry, my new year's resolution is to update as soon as I possibly can for all of you!**

**Thank you all so much for an amazing 2008, and I wish you all the best in 2009!**

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**Troy's P.O.V**

The school went into gossip mode after the officer's left. For those who hadn't been visited by the officer's, they assumed that they had come to bust Gabriella and me with something.

Others were hysterical, saying that the kidnappers were going to break into the school and kidnap them.

There was even the occasional person in the hallway that would say they were worried about us, but it was more for show than it was genuine.

As for Gabriella, she took the news the hardest. Her eyes were always darting back and forth worried with what was going to happen. Her body was always tense, and even when she smiled there was the nervous look in her eyes. It hurt me to see her this vulnerable, and what hurt the most was that there seemed to be nothing that I could do about it. Gabriella barely spoke, becoming like a ventriloquist dummy, through which I spoke. Not that I minded; I would do anything to help her.

We were in the hallway, my arms wrapped securely around Gabriella, as she clung on to me as tight as she could. We were talking to Kelsi and Tim, who in my opinion were starting to act like a couple. Samantha and Jackson were in the library studying for some history test.

There was a silent agreement made that nobody would talk about the news the officers gave.

"Finally, the day is over. I just want to go home!" Tim said dramatically.

"Yeah. I'm so glad it's Friday. An entire weekend without school." Kelsi added.

Again, Gabriella was mainly silent.

"You okay?" I whispered in her ear. She looked up at me, and nodded gently. I wrapped my arms even tighter around her, feeling exactly how badly her body was shaking.

"Uh, look who's coming." Tim whispered. I looked up to see Sharpay heading down the hallway, Taylor and a couple of dancers following suit.

"Brie, Sharpay is here. Do you want to talk to her?" Gabriella shook her head 'no'. "Okay. I'll handle it." She pulled her head from my chest, mouthed 'thank you', and placed it back.

"Sharpay." I greeted through gritted teeth as she approached. It was hard to forgive her after everything she did to Gabriella, abandoning her now in her biggest time of need.

"Hi Troy." She said, and I saw her eyes instantly rest upon Gabriella's figure. "Um, we just wanted to know if she was okay?" the girls behind her nodded.

"Why do you care? It's not like you were there for her before." Tim barked at her.

"You are?"

"Tim. I've been in your math and English class for three years now."

"Ah."

"Anyway, you really don't deserve to be here right now. You can come back when you feel like actually being a friend." I knew Tim was being rude, but Sharpay deserved to hear that we weren't going to be taking this treatment from her and let her get away with it.

"Kelsi?" Taylor asked.

"Sorry, I'm with them. You guys are just downright nasty to act that way."

"Right. Well, um, I guess we just want you to be okay." Sharpay said. "Bye Gabriella." Gabriella shifted in my arms, looking briefly at Sharpay, before turning her head away. Sharpay and her 'posse' walked away.

"What nerve." I said.

"Agreed." Tim stated.

"Well, at least we know one of our friend had the decency to come up and see us." I spat out. Time placed a hand on my shoulder, calming me.

"Chad's a jerk, and you should just stop thinking about him." I nodded.

"Come on Brie, let's get you home."

----------

After dropping Gabriella off at her house, I went home to find my mom waiting by the door for me.

"Hey son. How was it today?" I sighed.

"Gabriella was the same. Mom, I don't know how to help her anymore." My mom wrapped her arms around me in a hug.

"I know it's hard, and Gabriella's going through a rough time, but you have to take care of yourself. Gabriella needs your support, but she partly has to come to terms with things on her own." I nodded.

"It's just hard to see her so upset. It's really taking a toll on her."

"I know sweetie. How about you go up and do your homework, so you can visit her tonight." I looked up at her, stunned for words.

"But how – "

"I know about your little visits son. I always see you sneaking out of your window onto your small balcony, where you climb down the roof. It's okay. Your secret is safe with me."

"Thanks mom."

-----------

After I completed my homework, I quickly rushed towards my car and drove the couple of blocks to Gabriella's house. I quietly opened the fence door that led to her backyard, and quickly headed towards the familiar tree. I looked up to see Gabriella's balcony light on, a signal to me to know that I can come up. I quickly climbed up the tree and hopped onto the balcony.

Inside, Gabriella was resting on her bed. Her eyes were closed, and she probably fell asleep while she was waiting for me. She told me she had gotten little sleep since the officers came two days ago, and so she was probably so exhausted that she passed out.

I quietly slipped into her room, closing the door behind me. I walked over to her bed, sitting down gently beside her, and began stroking her hair. The action reminded me of when I used to do that when she was sick.

She stirred a bit, and I could see the red streaks and puffy eyes on her face. She had been crying when she fell asleep.

I stayed there for I didn't know how long, and suddenly Gabriella's body began to jerk around.

"No…no…no" she began to mumble.

"Brie. It's okay, I'm here for you."

"No… no…"

"Brie, wake up." Gabriella's body tensed up and she began kicking and throwing her arms in her bed, tossing all over the place.

"No! Go away! Please!" she yelled. I lifted her up into my arms and began to gently rock her back and forth.

"Shh. Brie, it's okay. I'm here." I kissed her head as I continued to rock her back. My actions must have woken her up, for she stirred in my arms and pulled back. She looked around the room nervously, eyes darting back and fourth as her chest heaved.

"Troy… they – "

"It was just a nightmare Brie… it's okay." She dug her face into my chest, and her tears began to wet the fabric.

"It was so real."

"Is this why you haven't been sleeping, Brie?" she nodded. "Oh, why didn't you tell me? I would have helped you sooner."

"I thought it would only last a couple of days and go away." She whimpered.

"Tell me next time, promise?" she nodded. "Alright. Do you want anything? Water? Tylenol?"

"Can you hold me?" she asked.

"Always." I secured my hold on her, and gently lay back down against the bed. Gabriella molded into my side, wrapping her arm around the front of my torso. I held on to her tightly, whispering softly in her ear, until her breaths finally evened out.

She was asleep.

I continued to hold her, placing the occasional kiss on her forehead as she slept. I couldn't help but worry about her.

What if her nightmares got worse?

What if they came true?

I didn't know what to do to help her, but I resolved I wouldn't leave her until her nightmares passed.

I would talk to my mom about it.

Gabriella needed me, and I was going to be there for her.

What I didn't realize was that a part of me needed Gabriella too.

------------

**AN: So, what did you guys think? Sharpay is starting to come around, but Chad is still completely ignoring Troy. Do you think Sharpay talking to Gabriella will have an impact on their isolation from the school?**

**Gabriella is having nightmares, like many people would after an experience that traumatic. Even though Gabriella didn't get physically abused, the feeling of not getting out of there and the life-threatening condition she had while there would launch nightmares. And, now that the kidnappers are still not free, it would cause even more.**

**Please, tell me what you think of this chapter!**

**Also, I would like to wish all of you a Happy New Year once again! See you all in 2009!**

**Review if you want the next chapter!**

**Xoxo,**

**Lar**


	17. The Party

**Chapter 16 – The Party**

**AN: Thanks for the fantastic reviews that I got last chapter! WOW it made my day. I have 181 reviews, which really makes me feel so special. That is the mot I have ever gotten, and Fate Works in Strange Ways is coming in with a close second!**

**I am so pleased with everything you guys said! **

**This is my first chapter of 2009, and so please, enjoy it and tell me what you think. I hope you all had a fantastic New Year's Eve!**

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**Troy's P.O.V**

Weeks passed, and Gabriella's nightmares seemed to slowly diminish. She was no longer as tense in school, even though she kept by my side at all times.

We had not left each other's sights in that time.

School was a different story.

Chad continued to fight with Sharpay in the hallways. It was becoming an almost daily occurrence. Other times, Chad seemed to find pleasure in tormenting me. He was no longer the best friend that I have known since kindergarten, but a completely changed person.

Sharpay, on the other hand, seemed to be getting a bit more civil. She was making amends with Gabriella, to the point where they were now friends again. It would take a lot to get back to the best friend status that she had with Gabriella before the kidnapping.

Sharpay also seemed to try and avoid fighting with Chad as much as possible. She didn't speak to him unless he started it, and even then she kept her insults to a minimum. There were the occasional fights where Chad would get Sharpay so riled up that she would burst, but that didn't happen to often.

"So, you guys going to the party tonight?" Sharpay asked as she sat down at our cafeteria table. Her, Taylor and two more dancers had started sitting with us, which also seemed to be positive for Gabriella. She was more secure when she was surrounded by more people, even if it was people she still wasn't sure she trusted yet.

"I don't think so." I responded.

"Why?" I looked at Gabriella.

"Brie, I'm not leaving you home alone. Besides, who wants to go to a stupid little party?" she smiled and laced her fingers into mine.

"You're not going Gabby?" Sharpay asked.

"No. I just don't feel like it."

"Come on, it will be fun! Get your mind of things!" Tim said.

"Yeah, and besides, Troy will be with you, as will all of us." Samantha included. Gabriella questioned the idea, before turning and looking at me.

"What do you think?" she asked.

"Brie, I will do whatever you want. If you want to go and try to get your mind of things, then I will drive us there for 7:30. If you don't want to go, which is completely understandable, then I will stay with you and we will watch a movie."

"You're too good to me."

"It's because I love you." I replied. She blushed.

"Oh please, can we continue the love fest later?" Jackson asked, and the rest of the table laughed.

"Fine." I wrapped my arm securely around Gabriella's shoulder, and she cuddled deeper into my side.

"Please come Gabi?" Sharpay pleaded.

"Fine." She sighed, mimicking my response.

"Good."

We continued to eat our lunches in peace.

If you could call eating with Sharpay peaceful.

----------

The party was in full swing.

There were already students who were so drunk that they were wobbling around like hobos.

Some overly horny students were already gluing their lips to another person's, and doing other actions.

Music was blaring so loud it could be heard all the way down the street.

"You sure you want to do this?" I asked Gabriella as we got out of my truck.

"Yeah. I have to get out sometime." She said. I laced my fingers with hers and we walked hand-in-hand towards the house.

"Hey!" Tim called, running towards us. "We're all in the backyard." I nodded and we followed him to where our new 'group' was. Sharpay was talking to Kelsi about something, Taylor and Samantha were laughing at Jackson, who thought it was funny to stick two straws up his nose.

"Dude, what are you doing?" I asked.

"I don't know, but the girls like it." He responded.

"No. The girls make fun of it." Gabriella responded. It was nice to see her coming out of her shell again, and being more open with people. We all burst out laughing, and Jackson embarrassingly took out the straws.

"I'll get you Gabriella, just you wait."

"You can try, but you won't succeed." She responded back.

"Dude, she's got you." Tim added.

"I thought you were on my side!" Jackson whined.

"I'm on the winning side, which is always Gabriella's side."

"Touché." He responded.

"Dude, why did a get a text from your dad?" I heard Samantha ask me.

"Don't know. What does it say?" She burst out laughing.

"What?"

"You forgot your cell phone at home."

"Again?" Gabriella said, looking up at me with a raised eyebrow.

"What! I was rushing to get here and I must have left it in my bag."

"It's okay. Your dad is coming to drop it off. He said he'll meet you in front of the house." I looked over at Gabriella, not wanting to leave her side the first time she seemed to be getting okay.

"Don't worry Bolton, I'll take care of her." Sharpay promised. I nodded, giving Gabriella a tight hug, and running towards the front yard.

**Sharpay's P.O.V**

Troy was probably just being a kind, caring boyfriend, but did he really have to stay by Gabriella's side at all times? She could be trusted with other people.

"So Gabby, what do you want to do?" I asked her. I looked around, noticing that the others seemed to have run off. Gabriella, noticing my confusion, answered my unspoken question.

"Sam and Jackson went to get drinks, and Tim, Taylor and Kelsi went to 'mingle'."

"I see."

"Sharpay, I just kind of want to stay here and wait for Troy. Is that okay?" I nodded.

"Of course."

"Well look here." I spun around to see Chad approaching me. How dare he come here when he saw that Troy was away!

"What do you want Danforth?"

"Gone to the dark side, Evans. Finally decided to speak to the two losers?" he said, pointing at Gabriella. She shrunk back against the table, standing as far away as she could from Chad. That was it.

Chad could insult me as much as he could. But when he insulted Gabriella, he went to far.

All thoughts of ignoring Chad left my head as quickly as they came.

This time, it was on.

"It's not my fault you abandoned them. At least I can be civil."

"Right. You civil? That's like a dog playing the piano."

"For your information, it has been done."

"And I thought Montez was the wise-ass, but it seems you are as well. Nice going Blondie, actually got some brains in that air-filled head of yours."

"Well at least that's more that you have in that hole you call a head."

"Nice comeback Evans. Read it from one of your gossip magazines?"

"Nah, because then all of your comebacks wouldn't be original." He glared.

"Like yours?" his basketball jocks laughed from behind him.

"Funny, using what I just said and twisting it around to make it sound original. What did I say girls?" a circle was now building around the two of us, and I failed to notice Gabriella standing on the outside of it, trying to keep out of the fight.

"What's wrong Evans? Need reassurance from your posse?"

"Nope. Some of us can actually stand up on our own. We don't need people telling us that we are doing a good job." The crowd 'ooh'd'.

As the fighting continued, nobody noticed the two hands wrap around Gabriella's petite body, dragging her into darkness.

----------

**Troy's P.O.V**

My father finally arrived, five minutes after I had gotten to the front yard.

"Dad, I just don't see why you couldn't just leave the phone at home. I could have borrowed Gabriella's."

"Your mom insisted I bring it. She secretly would have been fretting all night if you didn't have it." I laughed.

"Sounds like mom." My dad nodded.

"Speaking of, how is Gabriella?"

"She's doing better. I think that secretly coming to the party tonight was the best thing for her, because she's getting back into society again."

"Yeah. You're really a good guy for her, Troy."

"I just don't know anything else I can do."

"You're doing everything you can. That's all she can ask for." I sighed.

"I guess."

"Cheer up son. Go back and enjoy the party with your girlfriend."

"Yeah." I gave my dad a hug. "I'll see you l – " I was cut off by a noise that pounded through my eardrums.

A blood-curdling scream.

And not just any scream. I knew that scream.

It was the scream that had haunted my nightmares.

It was the scream that I hoped I would never have to hear in my entire life.

It was Gabriella's scream.

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**AN: OH! Major Cliffy! I re-started the drama because I didn't want to lose all of you with writing boring chapters that were mainly just fillers and had no real point to the story.**

**Oh my goodness I have almost 200 reviews. Less than twenty more, and this would become my first story to reach 200 reviews. What do you think; can we get there for this chapter? I would really appreciate it if we did, and it would really make my day!**

**Please, review if you want the next chapter of the story!**

**Xoxo,**

**Lar**


	18. Break Down

**Chapter 17 – Break Down**

**AN: Oh my gosh, you guys almost got past the 200 review mark (you got to 199!) I am so pleased! What also has surprised me is that "Fate Works in Strange Ways" is almost tied for reviews with this story, even though it has fewer chapters. You guys are really enjoying that story, and I am really happy about that as well!**

**Unfortunately, I have exams coming up at my school in two weeks, and I will not be able to update during those two weeks unless I manage to get a chapter written in advance, which will be hard to do. I'm sorry about that, but I will try to make up for it when my exams end! I will try my hardest to write for you when i am taking breaks from studying, so you will get at least one update during that time! Sorry again!**

**Love all of you!**

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**Troy's P.O.V**

I ran so fast it felt like my feet weren't even touching the ground.

My dad was hot on my heels.

I burst through the gate and ran towards the crowd. In the center I saw Sharpay, looking at frightened as ever. Chad was standing across from her, a nervous look on his face.

"Brie? Brie?" I called out, scanning the crowds for her face.

She wasn't there.

"Tell me she went into the house. To use the bathroom; to get a drink." I said to Sharpay.

She burst into tears.

"Where is she?" I asked. The crowd was silent. "WHERE IS SHE?"

"Calm down son." My father said from behind me.

"NO! WHERE IS GABRIELLA?" I yelled as loud as I could. The crowd sent silent. I stormed over to Sharpay.

"Sh…She's…I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?"

"I started well, fighting with Chad, and she kind of balked off. I didn't realize she was gone until – " Sharpay chocked on a sob, raising her perfectly manicured hands to her face.

"She screamed." I responded. Fire then burned in my eyes.

"You were supposed to watch her. I left you with her for five minutes, and you can't even handle that." Chad snorted, and I turned towards him.

"What's so funny?"

"It's just that Evans couldn't do anything for her life." My fists clenched up, and I stormed over towards him.

"Oh yeah. Like you did any better. Why did you have to do all this? Ruin Gabriella's happiness, fight with Sharpay. Couldn't you have been happy for me?"

"She's not good for you. You need – "

"What? A cheerleader? Somebody I can use for a good fuck and then leave?"

"No, but…"

"You left me as a best friend. My friend from kindergarten, the person who I relied on the most, who I could tell everything to. All for what, Chad?" Guilt flashed through Chad's eyes.

"You gave up our friendship Chad. All because you were jealous of me for finding happiness in a girl while you were still searching. You hated the fact that you were no longer the number one person in my life."

"No… it's just – "

"And worst of all? You broke a promise." Chad bent his head down, staring at the ground. Finally, I fell to my knees, sobs taking over me.

I remembered the memory perfectly.

_Begin Flashback_

_Two seven-year-old boys were sitting on a rusty car in a local junkyard. It was their secret hideout, a place that the two would go to talk, play, make-believe and hide from their parents. _

_It was a place where they could be anything they wanted to be._

_A curly haired boy was chatting away a storm, while the small dirty-blonde boy was sitting quietly, not eager to participate in the conversation._

"_And then my dad – hey, what's wrong?" the curly haired kid asked._

"_Nothing."_

"_Troy, I know you, and you have something on your mind. Tell me."_

"_Fine. Well, my dad was upset yesterday?" Chad looked shocked._

"_Really?"_

"_Yeah. And when I asked my mom, she said that his friend was mean to him, and that he hurt my daddy's feelings."_

"_His friend? That's bad."_

"_I know." Troy sighed, playing with his fingers. "It's just, I don't want that to happen."_

"_What do you mean?"_

"_Chad, I don't want us to not be friends." Chad smiled._

"_Hoops don't worry. You are my best friend, and I would never want to hurt your feelings. I will forever be your friend, no matter what."_

"_Promise?" a timid Troy asked._

"_Promise."_

_The two shook pinkies, sealing the deal._

_End of Flashback_

----------

Hours passed, and I was still sitting in the corner of the house, my dad holding me comfortingly. I felt like a little boy, sitting in my dad's lap after a having a nightmare, him rocking me gently and promising that he had killed all of the monsters in my closet.

The party had been cleared, and the only person who was still here was Mike, whose house it was. The police had been contacted right away, and the entire backyard was now a crime scene taped off for police to investigate.

"Troy Bolton?" I looked up to see the familiar officers. The two officers that I felt I had been seeing two much of lately.

"Yes?"

"When was the last time you saw your girlfriend?"

"Approximately five minutes before she… screamed. I left her because my dad had to give me something, and I was with my dad when it happened." The officer nodded, scribbling away at her notepad.

"It was them, wasn't it?" I asked.

"What?" Ginger asked.

"It was the kidnappers. They took Brie." The officer's solemn face looked down.

"Most likely. We never found them, and it was about time that they strike again."

"ABOUT TIME? You mean you wanted this to happen?" My fists became tight balls again, the knuckles turning white.

"No, but now we have a greater change of finding them.

"And putting Gabriella at risk?" I yelled.

"No… that's just how it had to happen." I glared, tears streaming down my face.

"You have to find her."

"We'll do the best we – "

"NO! You HAVE to find her. I can't survive without her. She's my life!" The officer nodded.

"Alright." She said goodbye, and walked off towards the forest, where they were searching for any signs of where Gabriella was taken.

I looked over to the corner of the room to see Sharpay being comforted by an equally upset Kelsi, Samantha and Taylor. It seemed she blamed herself for what happened, and was beating herself up about it.

Tim and Jackson were silent, not believing that this was really happening.

Then I saw Chad.

My former best friend was standing in the very corner, a guilty expression on his face. He looked towards me, and tried to say something, but I looked away.

I couldn't deal with him right now.

My life was slowly crumbling away.

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**Gabriella's P.O.V**

I woke up in a dark room, a pounding coming from my head. I reached up and felt a small bump on the back of my head.

I tried to sit up, but the walls began to spin. Slowly I pushed myself against the wall, resting my head back.

Where was I?

I looked around, but couldn't see anything. The room was pitch black, no light at all. There was a throbbing coming from my wrist, and when I felt it, it felt tender.

Somebody had gripped it hard enough to leave a bruise.

Suddenly, a door opened, and light shone into the room.

I could see boxed piled high, and noticed that the room was very small. As big as maybe two normal sized bathrooms.

"Hello again, princess." I froze.

It was the voice.

The voice that haunted my dreams.

The voice that I hoped never to hear again.

"Troy?" Was all I managed to whisper.

"Pretty boy wasn't around, but we got you. Aren't you happy?"

"What do you want?" I spit at him.

"Ah, your personality changed. Not feeling sick like last time. I am surprised you even survived, having that nasty virus."

I glared up at him.

"You don't want frown lines, do you?"

"What do you want with me?" I asked again.

"You see princess, you two got away. I don't like when that happens, and I intend to go through with my original plans of ruining Matsui's life. However, I'm going to have to have a bigger part in the plan, seeing as you didn't die naturally as I was planning."

I gulped.

He wasn't planning on letting me go, alive.

He was going to kill me.

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**AN: OMG Cliffy (again!). Sorry but I know that's the way to keep you guys on board with my stories! Anyway, I wanted to keep Troy out of the kidnapping again because I wanted to make him be the Saviour in a way… if he gets to Gabriella in time!**

**Dun…Dun…DUUNNNN!!!**

**Anyway, please tell me what you think of this chapter!**

**Review if you want the next chapter!**

**Xoxo,**

**Lar**


	19. Depression

**Chapter 18 – Depression**

**AN: Hey guys…I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter. Sorry about the big cliffhanger, but it seems to catch your attention more if I do that. Fate Works in Strange Ways has officially taken over the reviews, which I am pleased of, because I think that is my better work. Don't worry; I am still going to write this story and both will get equal time devoted… so if you haven't read the other one you don't have to fear I will drop this story for the other.**

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**Troy's P.O.V**

Days.

That is how long had passed since I had heard that terrible scream in Mike's backyard.

The scream still haunted me. I couldn't get it out of my head, and it was taking over my life.

My father had issued a 'no being unsupervised' rule for me, claiming it was because he didn't want the kidnappers to get me too, but I knew the real reason was that he was scared I was going to run off to try and find Gabriella.

My mother was now keeping an annoyingly close watch on me.

Especially when I didn't eat.

"Honey, you have to eat something… it's not healthy." She would say to me.

"Gabriella's not eating." I would reply.

I was in a depression.

I no longer ate.

I no longer 'hung out'.

I was locked in my room for most of the day.

Tim and Jackson had both come over to see how I was. They had spent a little while talking to me. Well, they talked, and I mainly stayed quiet as I listened to their conversations.

Kelsi and Samantha wanted to come, but they had called saying they were still trying to calm down an almost suicidal Sharpay. She had taken her blame to the extreme, refusing to do anything good for her. She had stopped eating for a little while, but her mother threatened to ship her off to boarding school if she didn't start eating again.

Luckily, my mom is not that harsh.

The officers called daily, but they never had any news. This was the one time I would get out of my room and talk to my parents about what they said. Except that the officers hadn't had anything to say for the last three days.

I was currently sitting in my room, blasting song from my I-pod. I was listening to 'Vanessa Hudgens', which seemed like I singer I would not listen to. Truth was, that was Gabriella's favourite singer, and I listened to it as a way of feeling closer to her.

_Begin Flashback_

"_Whoa!" I called out. Gabriella spun around to look at me. We were both in her bedroom, she was sitting on her bed finishing up her history assignment, and I was at her desk looking through the many shelves, including her CD rack. I had just found a picture of a singer slipped inside the case of the singers CD._

"_What?" she asked from her place on the bed._

_  
"You listen to her?" _

"_Yeah…" she replied nervously._

"_Wasn't she like, naked?"_

"_Troy! She had a small little picture scandal, but that doesn't mean she's not a nice person. I like her a lot, actually. I'm an official dedicated fan!" I looked back down at the picture that was now in my hand._

"_She's hot." _

"_Hey! Girlfriend in the room." I replied._

"_Would it be any consolation if I said that you looked exactly like her?" Gabriella laughed._

"_I do not." I stood up, taking the picture with me, before placing it beside her face, and staring at it._

"_Sorry babe, you look like her. Same eyes, same hair, same face, you guys could be twins. Whoa! Maybe you are!" Gabriella reached over and smacked me on the back of the head._

"_Goof."_

"_But I'm your goof." She smiled._

"_That you are." I smiled._

"_Thank you." She giggled, and I kissed her firmly on the lips. When he broke apart, I looked back at her._

"_You still look like her."_

_End Flashback_

I ended up taking Gabriella to her concert when she came to Albuquerque four days ago, spending a fortune on the last minute tickets. I even paid extra and got backstage passes. Gabriella was thrilled getting the autograph of and taking pictures with her idol. They also joked around that I looked like Zac Efron. Talk about a gang up. When Zac arrived backstage to greet Vanessa, we took a group shot of the four of us, and have since had many comments of how Gabriella and I look almost like younger versions of the famous 'Zanessa'.

Gabriella printed hundreds of copies of that picture, taping it in her locker, organizer, and all over her room. She gave ten copies to me, putting one in a frame on my night table, and kept around thirty copies in her room in a special box.

Remembering that day brought tears to my eyes. Gabriella had been so happy, and that was the first time that I noticed she had forgotten completely about the kidnappers.

It was hard to imagine that our world had been turned around just four days later.

"Troy?" I heard my mothers voice calling for me from behind my door. Probably one of her hourly checkups.

"I'm still here mom, don't worry." I called back.

"No son, you have a visitor."

"Mom, I don't want to – "

"Troy, just talk to him." Somehow, I had a strange feeling I knew who it was. Sure enough, the familiar curly haired boy walked in through the door.

"What do you want Chad?" I asked, venom evident in my voice.

"Dude, I just want to talk to you. Please?" He asked, and I could tell he wasn't going to leave until he got what he wanted.

"Fine." I lied back on my bed, the I-Pod still blaring. Chad came and sat down on the edge of my bed.

"You listen to her?" he asked, and I felt my throat choke up when I recognized the exact words I had said to Gabriella days ago.

"Brie put it on my I-pod." Chad nodded, looking around my room. His eyes fell upon one of the pictures on my nightstand.

"You saw her?"

"Yeah. I took Brie to get her mind off things." I said, my voice monotone.

"Cool." It was silent for a while.

"Chad, what do you want?" He sighed.

"Look, I wanted to say sorry. I was a real jerk, and I know it. I just didn't realize that you care so much about her."

"What made you change your mind?" I said, turning to face him.

"You. Now. You look like you were run over by a truck dude. Only a guy who cared deeply about somebody would go into this deep of a depression."

"I just miss her."

"You can't live without her." I sighed, and nodded. There was the Chad who knew everything about me, and could read me like an open book.

"She understands me. She's the first person that I have actually cared for. All my past girlfriends, they were crappy, only being with me because of my looks. Gabriella saw me at the worst moments of my life, and she still loved me. That's the kind of person she was. She found the best in everybody, not the worst. I just never saw it all those times I fought with her." I sighed, looking at the second picture I had on my night table.

It was just Gabriella.

She was sitting in her backyard on her hammock, looking out into her backyard. The sun was setting in the background, and the way the sunlight shone from behind her silhouette gave it a natural beauty. It was my favourite picture of her.

"I just wish I hadn't wasted all those years fighting with her." I said, regret clear in my voice. "If I wasn't such an idiot I probably would have figured out how special Gabriella was sooner. I would have had more time with her. Now she's gone, and – "

"You don't know that. Don't tell me that you have already given up." Tears filled my eyes. I was never the type of guy to show emotion in front of people, unless the circumstances were huge.

"Last time, she barely made it out of there. The kidnappers are already on high alert. They aren't going to let her get away a second time." I picked the picture off of my night table; stroking her face gently, before letting my tears finally fall.

"Hoops you can't give up. You have to be there for Gabriella." I looked at him.

"Why are you here all of a sudden? I thought you didn't care about Gabriella."

"I thought about what you said. And after watching your breakdown, I realized that this is real. She's not just any average girl to you. I guess… I'm sorry. I'm sorry for being such a terrible friend, for abandoning you even though I promised I wouldn't, and for letting this drive a wedge in between our friendship. If I had taken the chance to know Gabriella, maybe all of this wouldn't of happened." He sighed, and looked at the picture in my hands. "I'm also sorry for distracting Sharpay from Gabriella. Maybe things would have turned out differently if I hadn't."

"It's okay man. Sometimes we all make mistakes. Even then, deep down, we're still best friends."

"Forever?" he asked.

"Forever." We did our handshake.

"Listen, my dad knows some people in the FBI, do you want me to tell them about –"

"No."

"Why not?"

"The FBI have already been contacted, as have almost every type of police unit in the state. There is a country-wide search going on, but still nothing."

"So what are you doing to do about it?" I looked up at him. He realized what I meant. "Dude, no way."

"I have to."

"You can't just do that… it's dangerous."

"I've been through worse." I stood up and walked right up to Chad. "I've had enough of all this waiting. It's tearing me apart. There's nothing else I can do for her. And I am not letting her die out there."

"Risking your life is worth it?"

"I'd die for her." I said firmly. I knew exactly what I had to do.

I had to find Gabriella myself.

No matter what it takes.

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**AN: OMG!!! It's getting intense! Lol.**

**Don't worry, the next chapter is going to have drama... so don't you worry! I will try to get it out as soon as possible, but my exams are currently taking over my life right now...Sorry for the lack of update and i will try to post as soon as possible!**

**Please, review if you want the next chapter!**

**Xoxo,**

**Lar**

**p.s. - I don't know if you guys have heard, but there is a RUMOR that Vanessa Hudgens is being considered for playing the role of Leah Clearwater in the Twilight Sequel "New Moon". Message me if you have no clue who Leah is, or google the character for a good summary. Personally, i think that she would be a good choice for the role. She is part native american, so she had the look, and it would give people a chance to see that she is a great actress and can go farther than the 'sweet, innocent' character that was Gabriella Montez. If anybody has seen Thunderbirds, she already did a great job of playing a character that was always hating this other guy.**

**Guys, just remember this is just a RUMOR, and not one hundred percent true. We're not sure what is going on, and won't know until the official cast list has been released.**

**So guys, what do you guys think? Do you think it would be a good idea to Cast Vanessa as Leah Clearwater?**


	20. Discovery

**Chapter 19 – Discovery**

**AN: Hey, thank you so much for the awesome reviews that I got last chapter! It is absolutely fantastic to hear from all of you. It was also really interesting to hear your opinions on Vanessa starring in "New Moon". Almost all of you thought she would be amazing in it!!!**

**Anyway… back on with the story. As promised, the drama will be intensified in this chapter, and will remain that way for a couple more chapters. This story is definitely going to be longer that "Summer Camp Nightmare" I guarantee it!**

**Enjoy the next chapter!**

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The roads were silent as I drove through the dark streets of Albuquerque.

Earlier today, I asked Chad to help me with my plan. He refused to do so, saying that he wasn't going to jail for some girl. His feelings about Gabriella were still not one hundred percent, and even though he pretended to care for her well being I knew that it was just a show to gain my trust back and get me to be his number one man again.

Did I really want to trust a guy like that?

As I stopped at a red light, I thought about the past few hours. For part of it, I was crying, and the other part, planning out exactly what I am going to do to get my love back. The plan had been thought out for days, all the proper information gathered. I was just waiting for the right moment to start it.

Again, no news came as to her whereabouts. Officers said that they would be out all night driving to the neighbour's of where she was taken, trying to find witness.

When I heard that, I put my plan in action.

I stepped on the gas pedal as soon as the colour turned green, speeding down the road. It was two am, and nobody was out driving except me. Finally I arrived at my destination. Pulling into the parking lot, parked and stepped out of the car, and locked the door to my truck. I walked towards the building, the large sign glowing dimly in the dark.

'_Albuquerque Head Police Station'_

Quietly, I opened the front door. An alarm rung around me, and I quickly typed the code into the code box.

How handy the Internet was these days.

Carefully, I crept through the unlit room, flashlight on, trying to avoid the cubicles belonging to the various officers that worked at the station. After looking at the nametags, I finally came to the one I was looking for.

Quickly, I walked into 'Ginger's' cubicle, closing the door shut behind me. I turned on the light, and began tossing the papers on her desk around.

Soon, I found the folder I was looking for.

_Gabriella Montez Kidnapping (2__nd__)_

I sighed.

Was I ready to open the folder, and find out everything about the kidnapper that had been kept a secret from me until now? What information would I find in there about Gabriella? I set the folder down gently on the ground, reaching into my jacket pocked and taking out the piece of paper.

It was a picture of Gabriella. Much like the one that was permanently on my bedside table, Gabriella didn't know the picture was being taken. Her mother had taken it one day when she was as the ski lodge, spinning around in the snow. Gabriella had then given me the picture, saying that I would always be with her. On the back was a simple saying.

_I Love You, Wildcat_

_Xoxo, Brie_

A tear fell down my cheek as I stared at the picture. Then, a feeling of determination swept through my body, as I knew I had to do this. I had to save Gabriella.

Setting the picture back in my pocket, I grabbed the folder off the table and opened it up. Staring up at me was Gabriella's innocent face. It was her picture from Graduation.

Underneath, there was information about her. Her name, her birthday, etc. I flipped to the next page, and gasped.

The man whose face I wished I would never see stared up at me. I blinked and took a couple deep breaths, and continued to read the information that was written underneath.

_Name: Jonathan Adam McBricke_

_Parents: Marcus and Sonya McBricke_

_Hometown: Dallas, Texas_

_Age: 37_

_Height: 5'8"_

_Weight: 168 pounds_

_Home(s): Private Mansions in Albuquerque and Texas_

_Criminal Record: accused of alleged kidnapping of Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez_

_Motivation: Jealously and Rage against Mr. Matsui for being beaten out at receiving award at Albuquerque Teachers College_

I closed my eyes. So it was Mr. Matsui's fault that Gabriella and I had been kidnapped. He was the reason why Gabriella and I were separated from the people who loved us. The reason why we were almost killed due to starvation and malnourishment.

The reason why Gabriella was kidnapped again.

Anger shook through my body as I processed the information. I remember how sweet Mr. Matsui had been when he came to visit Gabriella in the hospital, claiming that he was so glad his star student was all right.

I knew there was something fishy about that relieved look he had on his face.

He was happy that he hadn't caused the death of two innocent students.

I continued looking through the folder, reading over various facts that the crime investigators had discovered at the scene including tire tracks, what direction the car headed off in, what kind of car they were driving that night, as well as the many witness accounts that had been given by the neighbours and some of the students at the party.

Just as I was about to shut the folder, a small paper fell out onto the ground. I quickly picked it up, and looked at it.

It was a picture of two boys, arms around one another's shoulders. They were both wearing soccer jerseys and were beaming at the camera.

Instantly, I knew that the first was Jonathan McBricke. His large nose and long forehead were exactly the same as now. I turned the picture over, and found writing.

_Jonathan and David McBricke, Best of Friends Forever_

"_When Things get tough, seek comfort in one's you love"_

So this was his brother. I read over the small quote, trying to figure out what it meant.

Then I got it.

I quickly opened up the folder and turned to the still to contact pages. That's where I saw it.

_David McBricke_

_687 Forest Drive_

_Phoenix, Arizona_

_92038_

**(AN: Not a real address, made up)**

Of course.

If one was in trouble, and needed somewhere to hide out, they would go to the person they trusted the most. A parent, guardian, best friend…

A brother.

"Well, what have we here?" I swung around to see 'Ginger' looking at me with a stern eye. "I do believe you are trespassing, Mr. Bolton." I ran up to her, not caring that I could probably get arrested.

"I think I know where Jonathan McBricke is going!" I called out.

"How did you – " she saw the open folder on the desk. "Ah. And where do you think he is going, pray tell?"

"His brother's house. He has a house in Phoenix. They were best friends, so why would he not go back to the person that he trusted." I handed her the picture. All thoughts of arresting me left her head as she looked down at the picture, and then at the writing on the back.

"Interesting. I'm surprised we didn't think of it before. We were told that the brother's hadn't spoken in years, and they kept little contact, so we didn't find it urgent to call him up." She looked up at me. "You know, you could probably be a great police officer, the way you snuck into a heavily alarmed building and managed to figure out what was going on."

"I'll consider it. Right now, I think that it is our priority to head out and search his apartment."

"Right." She said. Together we walked out of the room, closing the door behind us. As we walked towards the exit, Ginger's walkie-talkie began beeping.

"_Officer! Answer ASAP"_

"Hello, Officer Jenkins Here. I have just learned some interesting information that you would be interested in, boss." Ah, so she did have a name.

"_No time, officer. We have an urgent 911 emergency."_

"What is it?"

"_Off of the major highway leading into Arizona, there was a major car accident." _

"Anybody we know?"

"_Yes. One male passenger has been identified as Mr. Jonathan McBricke." _I gulped.

"Any other passengers?"

"_Yes, though they are unable to be identified due to their mattered up faces." _Oh God. Please say that Gabriella wasn't one of the passengers.

"And?"

"_What we do know is this, two men were in the accident along with McBricke, middle-aged." _

And then, I heard the words I had been praying I wouldn't hear.

"_There was also a young female passenger with them."_

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**AN: See, I told you there would be lots of DRAMA! Wow, what a cliffhanger to leave you all with. I know you guys probably want to kill me but firstly, you don't know where I live (ha-ha!) and secondly, then you wouldn't find out what happens in the next chapter! Yes, I know that I'm evil. Muahahaha…**

**Review and tell me what you think if you want the next chapter!**

**Xoxo,**

**Lar**


	21. Sirens

**Chapter 20 – Sirens**

**AN: Hey Guys! Thank you for the AMAZING response that I got from you guys last chapter. Sorry I left it with a cliffhanger, but you have to keep things interesting, right?**

**Well, exams have officially started for me, which is kind of depressing. I updated this story later than I would have like to, but I have been really stressed out with all of the studying and such. Also, my grandmother cracked her head open so i have been spending a lot of time at the hospital and taking care of her.**

**Anyway, please enjoy this chapter of the story!**

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**Troy's P.O.V**

Sirens filled my ears as I stood in the chilly evening wind. Some were screaming, some were crying, some were questioning.

Me?

I was frozen.

I had just found out exactly what had happened here. The witnesses claimed that the car was swerving back and fourth on the highway before finally, the driver turned the car around so that the back of the car was hit by on coming traffic. A speeding car smashed into the back of the car, causing the car to turn and roll over and over again before it finally fell into a ditch on the side of the road.

This accident was caused on purpose.

McBricke intended to kill Gabriella.

Screaming tore me out of my thoughts, and I turned to face the commotion. When I heard what they were yelling, my heart dropped even more.

"The gas valve has been broken! Get them out QUICKLY!"

"The backdoor is jammed!"

"Get the Jaws of Life!"

The backdoor, the seat that Gabriella was in, was jammed. I quickly bolted towards where the officers were, and that was the first time that I caught a glimpse of the car.

If you could even call it that.

The back of the car was completely dented in and flattened. The roof was intended as well, probably from all of the rolling. I walked towards the car, ignoring the protests from the officers and paramedics, and walked over towards the back window.

My throat chocked up when I saw what was inside. I felt a pair of arms wrap around my shoulders and pull me back, but I didn't even notice.

My eyes were still witnessing the horrid scene of the car.

The metal scrunched and compressed into almost nothing.

The glass shattered all over the seat.

The blood.

The person pulled me back towards where the police cars were, and held me there. I watched as huge tools were brought over to the mangled car by fire fighters. The police were setting up their police tape, keeping the onlookers a far distance from the dangerous vehicle.

"Hurry! Pressure's building on the gas!" I stared in horror as more fire fighters ran towards the car. Two bodies were taken out from the front seat, and immediately rushed over towards the ambulance. Soon after one more was taken out.

Not one was Gabriella.

The fire fighters began pulling at the door with their tools in hopes of getting it open.

A hissing sound started to emit from the car.

"GET AWAY FROM THAT CAR! IT'S TOO DANGEROUS!! IT'S GOING TO BLOW ANY SECOND!

"THERE'S STILL ONE MORE PERSON!"

Gabriella.

"I'M ORDERING YOU TO LEAVE THAT VEHICLE!" the head officer yelled towards the fire fighters around the car. One by one they began to drop their tools, heading towards the edges.

They were leaving Gabriella. Leaving her in a car that was about to blow up into pieces.

"NO!!" I yelled, as I struggled to get out of the officers arms. "BRIE'S STILL IN THERE!" one officer locked eyes with me, and I could tell he saw the desperation in them. He quickly turned around and headed towards the car, taking out the powerful electric saw and beginning to cut away the car door.

"OFFICER! STEP AWAY FROM THE VEHICLE!" The head officer yelled again, yet the man continued at his work. The hissing sound continued to get louder and louder.

It was going to blow up.

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**Sharpay's P.O.V**

In the middle of the night, I was awoken by a phone call.

In most circumstances, I would have made sure that the person who called me at that time would pay for disturbing my beauty sleep.

However, I didn't.

Troy had called me. The second I saw his name flash across my blackberry's screen I knew something was different. I never got phone calls from Troy, simply because he still hadn't forgiven me for abandoning Gabriella. I quickly answered, and was met with a hysterical boy who had a hard time getting his sentences straight. After ten minutes of calming him down, I finally managed to get the gist of what he was saying.

Gabriella had been in a car accident with the kidnappers.

Troy begged me to tell the others, because he was rushing to get to the accident scene. I agreed, and at three in the morning I was calling Taylor, Kelsi, and the three friends that Gabriella had made at school when we weren't speaking, Tim, Jackson, and Samantha. I also hesitantly called Chad, because Troy insisted they were on speaking terms and he needed to know what was going on.

By five in the morning, all of us were gathered in my living room, watching the news for any updates on the accident. Besides the three new faces, the scene was almost exactly like what it had been when Gabriella and Troy were first taken.

The news was having constant coverage of the accident. The car was completely destroyed, and there were already speculations that no passenger in that car would be leaving without serious injuries.

"I can't believe what's happening." Kelsi said quietly from her seat on the corner of the couch.

"I know. Just when we thought things were getting back to normal, this has to happen." I added.

"It's not fair to Gabby. She didn't do anything." Samantha said. Suddenly our eyes were drawn towards the TV.

"_Breaking News! The car accident that happened on Highway 4 towards Arizona has just gotten more serious. It seems that a gas valve has been broken on the car, making the car dangerous to be near. We take you live to the scene to speak to our reporter. What can you tell us?" _I gulped.

Gas valve?

"_Well, as you mentioned the gas valve is broken. What also complicates the situation is that the car is so damaged that officers and firemen can't get access to the back seat, where a young girl is still trapped. One brave fireman is still attempting to free her as the car continues to get more and more dangerous. It – " _A loud hissing cut off the reporter. The camera zoomed in on the car, where a man was clearly seem trying to cut the door open. The hissing sound continued to increase. Just as the man finally put down the machine and ripped the door off of the car, flames suddenly erupted from the scene, debris flying everywhere. A loud sound filled our ears.

The car had blown up.

---------

**Troy's P.O.V**

I watched in horror as the car exploded into hundreds of pieces. Debris flew everywhere. Firemen rushed forward in an attempt to get control of the flames, pouring water onto the now melting car. My eyes scanned the scene, but I still could not find Gabriella at all.

Had she blown up with the car?

I couldn't bear to thing.

The firemen continued to put out the flames until there was nothing left but black, burned, debris.

Tears sprung to my eyes. My body started shaking with sobs as I fell to my knees.

She couldn't be gone.

The man who had been holding me back crouched down to my level.

"Calm down son."

"CALM DOWN? MY GIRLFRIEND JUST BURNED TO DEATH!!!!" I screamed.

"You never know. That fireman might have gotten her."

"YEAH RIGHT!" I screamed. The man put an arm on my shoulder, and I tried to shrug it away. I continued to cry, especially as I watched the pieces of the car being taken away from the scene. All that was left was a large black mark where the car once was. The trees hadn't caught fire, and their darkness scared me.

I listened out of the corner of my ear as the news reporters talking about what was happening. I couldn't bear it when they said that the victim was most likely dead. A scream emitted from my mouth as frustration and anger soared through my body. My fists were tight fists, and I threw them down angrily against the ground.

"NO!" I yelled. I continued to pound against the ground.

"Son, calm down." Two more officers, including Ginger, had come up to me.

"NO!"

Then, my attention was taken by a stirring in the woods. All camera reporters stopped talking as the cameras turned to see what was causing the commotion. The police officers and firemen came closer to the sound.

Then, a man covered in soot limped out of the woods.

In his arms was a lifeless, soot-covered figure.

Gabriella.

The fireman had saved her! He had gotten her out of the car in time.

She hadn't blown up.

Then, my heart dropped at what I heard the man yell in his hoarse voice.

"HELP! SHE'S NOT BREATHING AND BLEEDING FAST!"

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**AN: Dun, Dun, DUUNNN!!!!! I know it's a cliffy, but I got to keep you interested! Plus, it keeps suspense up.**

**Sorry the chapter was short, but I have been so busy that I have had rarely any time to get any stories out. My exams are taking over my life, and I have been studying like crazy for them. I promise I will try to make it up to all of you guys when they are finished in a week.**

**Please, review if you want the next chapter!**

**Xoxo,**

**Lar**


	22. Diagnosis

**Chapter 21 – Diagnosis**

**AN: Thank you guys for the awesome response that I got for the last chapter. It's fantastic. UHH!! I have exams for the rest of the week (really hard ones). Then, I have an appointment at the hospital on Friday (my mom says that I am too pale and that my body doesn't have enough blood) and yeah. Then, I will try my hardest to get my chapters out to you guys.**

**Anyway, here's the next chapter.**

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I watched in horror as the paramedics attempted to revive Gabriella. Every compression on her chest was another stab into my own. Every time a breath was given to her, I felt my throat closing up.

A breathing mask pumping oxygen into her body covered her blood-covered mouth. The large gash on the top of her head was being covered in gauze pads that were being removed as quickly as they were pressed against her head.

My grip on her hand tightened as the paramedics secured her onto the gurney.

"One…Two…Three…" she was hoisted into the air. I walked by her side as they led her towards the ambulance. I got up to walk into the ambulance beside her.

"Son, you can't go in there."

"I can." I said, ignoring as the man shouted at me to get out of the ambulance. I sat down beside Gabriella, keeping a firm grip on her arm as the paramedics continued to work around her, shouting out stats and trying to tend to her. Out of the corner of my eye, Ginger and Mr. Underwear were talking to the police, and pointing to me. The officers nodded, before getting into their cruisers.

As the car ride went on, tears stung my eyes as I watched Gabriella's pale face being wiped of the blood. I couldn't bear to look at the gauze pads that were soaked in blood as they were removed from her head.

How could this be happening to her?

When we finally arrived at the hospital, I was separated from her as the wheeled her straight into emergency. I sat down in the waiting room, putting my face in my hands.

I cried.

Gabriella's mom had been called, but was on a business trip and couldn't come back. She cared about her job more that her own child.

My parents were on their way. They had been watching the news as everything happened, and immediately got into their car and sped out to the hospital.

I always hated hospitals. The smell of disinfectant and white walls just screamed death. When I was a child, I had only come to the hospital once after breaking my hand, and I vowed never to come back.

And now, this was my second trip to the hospital in a month. For the same person.

I felt a gently tap on my shoulder, and when I looked up I saw a concerned looking nurse staring down at me. In her hand was a cup of water and a cafeteria sandwich, as well as a small packet of tissues.

"Here son." She said.

"Thanks." I croaked as I took the water and sipped it slowly. The nurse sat down in the chair beside me, placing the sandwich in my lap, and opening the packet of tissues, handing me one. I wiped my eyes of the tears that had build up.

"Do you need anything else?" she asked as she tenderly began rubbing my back.

"I need her to be okay." I responded.

"Who is she?" the nurse asked.

"She's my girlfriend. She's the most important person in my life." The nurse smiled.

"Tell me about her." I could tell she was trying to distract me, and it comforted me that at least somebody was there to talk to me.

"Her name is Gabriella Montez, and she's the smartest girl in school. She has the voice of an angel, especially when she sings, enchanting all people that are listening to her. She had a cute little button nose, and a beaming smile that can light up any room. She's also a fabulous dancer, so graceful and elegant as she glides across the stage. Her eyes are such a vibrant brown, so warm and loving, with this tiny sparkle in the corner whenever she's happy. She's a wonderful person."

"You love her?" the nurse said as more of a statement than an actual question.

"Yes. I just wish I hadn't made her life miserable."

"What do you mean?"

"At our school, we used to, rule the school you could say. Except that we hated each other. We used to always trash talk one another, and just be downright nasty to one another. The worst part was that I started it. She accidentally bumped into me on her first day at school, and me being the jerk that I am, started insulting her and bullying her. Our fighting lasted for years."

"What changed?" I sighed.

"One day, we were fighting, and both of us were kidnapped. Long story short, we began bonding while we were there. By the end, we were in love."

"That's sweet."

"Yeah." Tears began filling my eyes again. "I just hope she's okay." The nurse grabbed another tissue and handed it to me.

"I'll go and see what I can do for her. Don't worry, I'll make sure she gets the best care." I smiled up at the nurse through my tears.

"Why are you doing this?"

"Because I understand how important she is to you. Besides, I have nothing better to do." She said, winking at me.

"Thank you."

"No problem son. Now I just ask you to do one thing in return for me."

"Okay?" I said curiously.

"I want that sandwich finished when I get back here."

---------

The nurse proved to be a big help as I waited for my parents and friends to arrive at the hospital. She hugged me when I cried, made sure that I fed myself, and kept on checking for updates on Gabriella's condition.

As soon as my parents got there, I was crying in my mother's arms. My father ran to find the nurse and find out any information. Unfortunately, there was no news to tell me.

My friends had called, wanting to know how she was. The officers had recommended that they not come to the hospital and remain at home. I promised that I would call them when I heard any information.

The waiting room was a solemn place.

We all waited for hours, sitting around the waiting room, each without own thoughts. Finally, the doctor appeared, clipboard in hand, followed by the nurse that helped me.

"Friends and Family of Gabriella Montez." I shot out, feeling a sense of Déjà vu as I walked towards the doctor. He looked at us.

"Her family?"

"Her mother is on a business trip. If you look on her hospital records, our family is the second family to talk to." My father said, showing the doctor proper documentation.

"Alright." The nurse looked at me and smiled gently.

"Is she okay?" I asked.

"Well, she got here right in time, I can tell you that. In regard to her appearance, she got burned from the explosion, but they are just minor burns. With a little bit of ointment they should heal in no time." The memory of the explosion flashed through my mind, and I realized how close Gabriella came to having more serious injuries.

"Now, from what I gather, Miss Montez was in a car accident prior to the car explosion?"

"Yeah." I croaked out.

"Well, it seems that the indented car cut into her stomach. When she got here, her stomach was very bruised. Miss Montez has internal bleeding that we had to sow up during surgery. That is not a problem now, seeing as it was not that serious, and though she will be in pain there will be no long term consequences."

"Her head." I whispered.

"Excuse me?" the doctor asked. Sobs wracked my body as I remembered all of the blood that was coming out of the gash on her head. My mom wrapped a supportive arm around me, holding me close to her.

"H…how is her h…head?" I said between sobs. The doctor's face become more serious. He had _the look_.

The look that a vet has when he is telling a little girl that her puppy has died.

The look that a child has when she find out that her grandmother has passed away.

The look.

"Gabriella suffered a huge blow to her head when the car collided with the other one. A large piece of metal cut through her head deeply, and she hit her head very hard when her head hit the window. Gabriella had stapled put into her head to close the gash, which will be removed in two weeks."

"Unfortunately, there's more." The nurse said quietly from behind the doctor.

"Yes. After she got out of surgery, we had a CAT scan, as well as x-rays. It seems that the impact created some damage to the motor complex. Her body has shut down for a little while, not for long of course, but she will most likely be out for at least a week."

"Wait. She damaged her motor complex?" my dad asked.

"Yes." The doctor answered.

"Isn't that the area of the brain that controls movement?"

"Yes." The doctor responded quieter.

"What are you trying to say doctor?" my mom asked.

"Well, Gabriella did hit her motor complex and cause quite a bit of damage to it. It does control movement, which means that she is going to have a lot of problems when she gets out of the coma. Specifically, she damaged the area of the motor complex that controls the functions of the lower body."

"Which means?" my mom asked.

At the doctor's next words, my heart broke. I collapsed to the ground in tears, attempting to wrap my mind around me mentality of what was happening.

How could such a thing happen to such an innocent girl?

What did she ever do to deserve this?

How could God be so cruel as to inflict this on Gabriella?

I sobbed in my mothers arms, her rocking me back and forth, my father already starting do to research on what he could do to help her.

The words continued to repeat over and over again in my mind.

A broken record.

"I'm sorry. It looks like Gabriella is never going to walk again."

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**AN: Ohh… what's going to happen? Only I know. Lol.**

**Please, review and tell me what you think!!! Was it good? Are you disappointed? Are you angry with what's happening to Gabriella?**

**Review if you want the next chapter!**

**Xoxo,**

**Lar**


	23. Shock

**Chapter 22 – Shock**

**AN: Wow guys… I'm almost at three hundred reviews. That is just fantastic!!! Seriously…it's really amazing.**

**Sorry for the lack of update, but I have been really busy with exams. Now that they are finished…I will try to update more often. The only problem is that my school is very homework heavy, and it is hard to find time to update. But I will, and I will definitely update at least once a week. **

**Also, VANESSA HUDGENS FAVOURITED MY VIDEO on youtube!!!! That's just fantastic! I was so happy when I found out. If you want to see the video that she favorited, then go to my profile and click on the link to my youtube. (The account is the same name as this one). The video is called "Vanessa Hudgens Tribute".**

**Anyway, here's the next chapter.**

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I stumbled back into the chair, my mother coming down and sitting beside me. She began to soothingly rub my shoulders.

My mind was still not working. It was only focusing on that one thing.

Gabriella would never walk again.

I was in shock.

How could Gabriella never walk again? She was a dancer; she lived for dancing. How would she dance without being able to walk? It wouldn't work.

Gabriella would be heartbroken.

I didn't notice the tears that were falling until I felt the salty tears hit my mouth.

"Troy." I looked up at my father. "Oh Troy I'm so sorry."

"Why her? Dad why her?"

"We don't know son. There's always a reason why things happen."

"But dad, she doesn't deserve this. She's captain of the dance team! Her life is ruined." My mother began rubbing my back comfortingly.

"Sweetie, she'll get through this. And do you know why?" I sighed, and shook my head. "She'll get through this because you are going to be right there beside her. You're going to support her. You're going to help her. You'll be her rock."

"Troy, she's going to need you while she's struggling to come to terms with the fact that she won't walk again. You need to be strong for her. Can you do that?" my dad asked.

"Yes." I said in a voice just a tad louder than a whisper.

"Alright. You know that we're proud of you. Any normal boy would have run out of the hospital and abandoned their girlfriend if they found that out."

"I would never leave her." I said.

"Exactly, son. That is why she'll get through this. She'll have you." I sighed.

"Can I see her?" my dad smiled, and patted my shoulder.

"I'll go ask the doctors for you."

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Twenty minutes later, I was standing in front of Gabriella's hospital room. My hand was locked on the door handle. A feeling of Déjà vu struck me as I stood in front of her room. It tore me apart to think that this was the second time that she was in the hospital with serious injuries in less than a year.

"Come on Troy. You can do this." I muttered to myself. Taking a deep breath, I opened up the door.

Just as the last time, tears began streaming down my face at the sight before me.

Gabriella looked pale white, almost blending in with the crisp white linen of the hospital bed. Her long hair was lying against the pillow, half covered by the thick, white bandaging that covered her head. White bandages also covered her arms, where I presumed she had been burned. The area where her stomach was also had bandaging which could be seen through the think sheets. A light pink blanket lay on top of the sheets, providing the room with a tiny bit of colour.

The only difference from last time was this time; Gabriella's eyes were closed.

I rushed to Gabriella's bedside, grabbing her hand in mine and squeezing it tightly.

"Hey Brie, it's your wildcat here. You're going to be fine, you hear me. I'm going to stick right by your side, so you don't have to worry." I kissed her on the forehead.

"The doctors said that you should wake up in a week. I'll be right here when that happens. Brie, I just want you to remember that I'm going to stay with you no matter what, so don't think any differently." I decided that I wasn't going to tell her about her brain damage and never walking again, because if she could hear me while she was unconscious I didn't want her to lose the will to wake up.

"I don't know if you can hear me Brie, but I really hope that you wake up soon. I miss those chocolate brown eyes of yours, so warm and gentle, and also I miss your smile. I am getting so sick of being in hospitals right now, especially when you are the person that is lying in the hospital bed. I swear, if I have to come to the hospital once more after this is over because you ended up here again, I am going to snap."

"But Brie, don't worry. You just rest up and let your body heal itself. When you are ready to wake up, open those beautiful eyes of your and I'll be right here waiting for you. Just do one thing for me, and do wake up. You hit your head pretty hard, and I know it will be a struggle, but I don't know what I would do without you Brie." I stroked her hair as my tears began to flow freely from my eyes.

"Knock, Knock." I turned to see my mom standing in the doorway.

"Hey mom."

"Can I come in?" she asked.

"Yeah." I said, turning my face back to look at Gabriella. My mom went and sat down at the other side of Gabriella, mimicking my actions and grabbing her other hand.

"Hey Gabriella. It's Mrs. Bolton here. I just wanted to let you know that there are a lot of people who are rooting for you right now, and waiting for you to wake up. Especially the lunk-head right beside me who is dying to see you awake. I know that he would be happiest if you woke up soon. But remember Gabriella, that there are tons of people that love you dearly, and that you are very important to all of us." I looked up at my mom and smiled.

"Thanks mom." She looked up at me.

"For what?"

"For what you said. That was really beautiful." She stretched her other hand across the bed to grab mine, holding it tightly.

"It was the truth."

----------

A week passed, and the doctors were saying that Gabriella should wake up any day now. I hadn't left her side since she was admitted; showering in her on-suite bathroom and having my parents bring me food and water. I slept in the small couch that had been provided in Gabriella's room.

Gabriella's mom still wasn't back from her business trip, and it was really frustrating. Did she not care about her daughter at all? My mother had taken over and was like a mother figure for Gabriella, saying things to her that only mothers would. My mother also brought in bouquets of lilies for Gabriella, to help brighten up the room.

I was sitting by Gabriella's bed again, a position that hadn't changed in the week I had been with Gabriella. While I sat in her room waiting for her to wake up, I had finally come to grip with the fact that Gabriella would most likely never walk again. I realized that there was a reason as to why it was happening, even though I didn't know what it was right now, and that Gabriella and I would get through this together.

I leaned forward and kissed Gabriella tenderly on the lips. When I pulled back, I softly began stroking her hair.

"Brie, I've missed you so much. The doctor's said that you should wake up real soon. Come on, do you think that you can wake up for me?" I asked, positive that I wasn't going to get an answer in return. Instead, I saw Gabriella's eyes begin to twitch slightly.

"Brie?" I asked. Her eyes continued to twitch, until she blinked a couple of times and her eyes finally opened.

"I…th…think I can t…try." She muttered, her voice still raw from not being used the past week.

"BRIE!" I yelled as I shot forward, hugging her tightly in my arms. "You're okay."

"What…happened?" she asked.

"Oh Brie you were in a car accident. Don't you remember?" Her forehead wrinkled as she though back.

"Kind of. Parts of it are a blur."

"That's fine. The doctors said that you will remember everything in the next couple of days, but it should take some time. You hit your head pretty hard."

"Oh, so that's why it hurts so much." I laughed, and she giggled.

"Look who's being a little smarty pants." She tried to shift in her bed.

"Uhh."

"What's wrong?"

"I just want to sit up, because the pillows are so uncomfortable."

"Here let me." I said, reaching for her pillow.

"No, it's okay. I just want to sit up anyway… stretch my muscles." She struggled to get up again. I then saw her concentrating really hard. Then, a look of shock filled her face.

"Troy?" she said quietly.

"Yeah."

"Why won't my legs move?" I was shocked. How do you tell your girlfriend that she wouldn't walk again?"

"We…you see…"

"Troy!" Tears were streaming down her cheeks. "What's wrong with me."

"Brie calm down." She hiccupped.

"I can't!" she exclaimed. I began rubbing my hand soothing on her arm.

"Just relax. Take a deep breath, and tell me what's wrong." I realized it was easiest to break the news to her slowly. Gabriella sighed, taking in a deep breath, her hiccups calming down. Then, she looked up at me with her tear filled eyes.

"Troy, I can't feel my legs!"

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**AN: Aw, Gabriella had figured out that something's wrong with her legs. How is Troy going to explain this to Gabriella…it's going to be tough!**

**Please, review if you want to find out how Gabi reacts to the news that she will never walk again!**

**Xoxo,**

**Lar**


	24. We Will Get Through This

**Chapter 23 – We Will Get Through This**

**AN: Thank you guys for the supportive feedback from last chapter! I love hearing from you guys!**

**  
Unfortunately, I think that this story will be coming to an end shortly. I will most likely be ending it by the thirtieth chapter, maybe even a bit sooner. I think that there isn't much that I can do with the story line any more, and it is getting a tad boring. Don't worry, I already have some great ideas ready for you guys for when I finish this story!**

**Anyway, here's the next chapter.**

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"_Troy, I can't feel my legs!"_

I leaned forward and kissed her gently on the forehead. Then, I sat down on the bed beside her, taking her tenderly in my arms.

"Brie, when you were in the car accident you hit your head very hard." She snuggled the back of her head deeply into my chest.

"Okay."

"And, well, you hit a very specific area of your brain; the motor complex. It's the area of the brain that – "

"Controls the movement of the body."

"Yeah." I said quietly.

"Troy, what did the doctors say?" she asked. I hesitated, but finally answered.

"Brie, they said that you would most likely never walk again." Gabriella's body tensed up against mine. I wrapped my arms tighter around her.

"W…what?" she asked, and I heard her voice crack.

"I'm sorry Brie, I'm so sorry." I shifted over so that I was facing her, and she quickly buried her face into my chest, her tears soaking my shirt. I rocked her back and forth until finally she managed to calm down.

"Why me?" she mumbled into my shirt.

"I don't know Brie. However, there's always a reason why things happen. You just have to wait for it to come out."

"Never walking again? Troy that's going to ruin my life! I'm a dancer Troy, and I always will love dancing. But how will I dance if I am stuck in a wheelchair all of my life? Dancing is my life! Now, I have nothing left to live for." She sighed.

"Wrong."

"Huh?" she mumbled. I lifted her head up with my hand, looking her in the eyes.

"You are wrong."

"Well, what do I have left to live for?"

"Me." I leaned forward, kissing her on her forehead. "Brie, I am going to help you. I don't care what those doctors say; I'm going to do all possible to get you to walk again. You will walk again one day. But for now, you have to live… for me. Because I know for sure that without you I would die, and that would be a waste of two lives wouldn't it." Gabriella smiled softly at me.

"Really?"

"Of course. Brie, you are my life, and I know that I wouldn't be able to survive without you."

"Thanks Troy." She said as tears streamed down her cheeks. "What you said was beautiful."

"It's the truth." I wrapped my arms around her again, lying down against the bed frame with her body pressed against mine.

"You know what… you're right. We're going to get through this." I nuzzled my nose into the back of her head.

"That's my girl."

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After rocking Gabriella for two hours, she finally dosed off. Even though she tried to put on a brave face, I knew that she was being torn apart inside. Finding out that she would most likely never walk again was probably killing her inside. I just knew that I was going to do anything that I could to help her.

She would get passed this and live her life fully.

I walked into the waiting room to see my parents sitting together in a corner. When they saw me approaching they shot out of their seats and ran towards me. In a single second I was wrapped up in my mother's arms.

"How is she, sweetie?"

"She woke up mom." I said.

"Really?" my mom said as she pulled back.

"Yeah!"

"Oh Troy that's just wonderful." My mom said.

"It is." My dad added in.

"I…I told her about her legs." I said quietly. My mom looked at me sorrowfully.

"Oh dear. How did she take it?" I sighed.

"At first, she was heartbroken. I mean, getting that kind of news would really hurt you and it would take a lot of getting used to. By the end she put on a brave face, but I could see right through it. It's tearing her apart inside, the fact that she will never walk again."

"I'm sure it is. But you are going to help her through it, right?"

"Of course mom. She's going to need all the support that she can get from all of us."

"And from her mother." My dad said. I looked down.

"Still no word?"

"She's not coming home yet. Wants to stay out and get some more business done." Anger spread through my body.

"What happens when Gabriella is ready to be released? She can't just leave for business trips whenever she wants. She has to take care of her daughter!" my hands balled into fists.

"I know son, but we can't control her decisions. As to Gabriella needing care, there's nothing we can do." My mother's eyes sparkled.

"There is one thing, Jack." I looked at her curiously.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that we can let Gabriella stay with us, at least while her mom is on her business trips." My eyes lit up at the idea.

"But mom, she's in a wheelchair."

"So we'll build ramps. She's your girlfriend, so it's not like we weren't going to have to do that anyway." I smiled.

"You'd seriously do that?" My mom smiled at me gently, wrapping her arms around me.

"Of course son. Gabriella has a special place in your heart, so she has a special place in all of our hearts. Besides, she's just a darling girl, and I already feel as if she's my daughter. We would do anything for her. Right Jack?"

"Of course son. I'll call the builder and he'll come build anything she would need tomorrow."

"And I'll call her mother." My mom added. "We'll work this out. Gabriella will have constant care, and will always feel loved, don't you worry" I hugged both of my parents tightly.

"Thanks mom and dad."

"No problem son. Now go and spend some time with your girlfriend." I nodded and ran towards the corridor to her room.

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As I sat by Gabriella's bed, holding her hand with one hand and stroking her hair with the other, I thought about how our lives were going to be different from now on.

Gabriella's life was never going to be the same.

Firstly, there was the obvious. Gabriella was most likely never going to walk again. And even if there were a slight possibility that she would walk again, it would take tons of therapy and pain on Gabriella's part. Watching her go through that suffering would be hard to do.

If Gabriella's mother continued to leave her to fend for herself, then Gabriella would have a hard time caring for herself. Even if she came and lived with my family permanently so that she would have a stable home, not seeing her mother or knowing that her mother didn't care enough to come home would probably destroy Gabriella inside. Her mother, with whom she used to have a close relationship, was now abandoning her.

And school. How was Gabriella going to go through school? People who have started insulting her for dating me would now have another reason to pick on her. And even if Principle Matsui put in the required tools that would make school more accessible for her, Gabriella would be embarrassed to have to wheel around the hallways in a wheelchair instead of walking.

Dancing. Dancing was Gabriella's life, and one of the main reasons that she became popular in the first place. She was a natural born dancer, starting out at a very young age. Gabriella would have a hard time getting over the fact that she was never going to dance again.

But I knew one thing.

I am not going to abandon her.

Gabriella would have me to lean on; I am become her rock. I am going to support her and help her get through anything.

I will take her to all of the therapy classes needed to see if she will walk again.

I will take care of her and make sure she is comfortable.

I was going to help her get through this.

Gabriella was a strong girl; she always has been. Gabriella has always gotten over every obstacle that was thrown in her path. Now, she was faced with a particularly hard obstacle that she would have trouble overcoming on her own.

But that didn't matter.

Because together we were going to get through this.

We were going to conquer this obstacle.

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**AN: Hey guys! Well, that was a bit of a filler chapter. As I mentioned earlier, there will not be much left to this story. And so, I would appreciate if you guys went to my profile page and voted in a poll I have going on about what kind of story you would want me to write. I already have to very good ideas in my mind, and if you tell me what kind of story you want it will help me a lot with which direction I should take the story in.**

**Anyway, I hoped you enjoyed the chapter.**

**Please review!!!**

**Xoxo,**

**Lar**


	25. Ending The War

**Chapter 24 – Ending the War**

**AN: Hey guys… thank you very much for the reviews that I got last chapter (even though I have noticed a great decline in the number of reviews I am getting for this story.) That's okay, I know that it is getting really boring and so I will try to tie it up as soon as I can. Then I will focus only on "Fate Works In Strange Ways" for you guys! **

**Anyway… Sorry I have been MIA for the last week but I have been on a school vacation in Ottawa and so I have had no Internet access. It was actually quite funny coming home and having to have to sort through hundreds of e-mails from Fanfiction, youtube, and just other users. Sorry again for the lack of update.**

**PS! – My poll seems to now be working (sorry for that inconvenience) so would you please vote (it has to do with my next story).**

**Here's the next chapter!**

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**Sharpay's P.O.V**

"That was Troy." I said as I hung up my cell phone.

"How is she?" Kelsi asked worriedly.

"Not good."

"What's happening?" Samantha asked. She had officially been adopted as 'one of the girls' and was no longer considered an outcast. Just as Tim and Jackson were also adopted as 'one of the guys'. However, there was a difference.

They still hung out together.

"Well, you see, the doc – "I was cut off by somebody tapping me on the shoulder. I turned around to see none other than Chad standing before me. I rolled my eyes.

"What do you want Danforth." I said, venom in my tone.

"You don't have to be so rude."

"Get on with it." I said impatiently.

"Fine. I just wanted to know how Gabriella was doing. Actually, we all wanted to know." He said, motioning back towards the guys that were hanging behind him.

"Why?" Taylor asked.

"Because, Troy is somebody I care about, even if I have been a jerk to him lately. We haven't heard anything since that day that Gabriella was found, and we want to know if she is going to be okay."

_If she was going to be okay._

Tears sprung from my eyes at his words.

"Whoa, why are you crying?" Zeke asked.

"She's not going to be okay." I said.

"How do you know?" Jason asked curiously.

"I just got off the phone with Troy. Gabriella has woken up." A small smile fell onto Chad's face.

"She woke up? That's great. If she woke up from a coma then she obviously has to be okay. Right?"

"Wrong." Taylor cut in. "There could still be long-term effects from the brain damage. Am I right?" I nodded.

"What kind of effects, exactly?"

"Depends." Taylor continued. "If you hit the area that controls speech, you can be mute the rest of your life. If you hit another area, you can be paralyzed." At those words I collapsed to the ground, sobs wracking through my body.

"Shar?" the group around me crouched beside me.

"She's never going to walk again."

"Huh?" Chad said.

"Gabriella. She's never going to walk again." A unison gasp was heard. Tears began filling up in the girl's eyes, while the guys were shocked speechless.

The hallway was silent.

"Wh…what?" Chad asked.

"She won't walk again."

"Are they sure?" Taylor asked.

"Yes." My voice cracked as I replied. "She hit… some part of her brain that controls movement. The doctors are positive she will never walk again.

"But what about dancing?" asked a girl on the dance team.

"Yeah." Another agreed. "She won't be able to dance. I guess we'll have to appoint a new team captain."

"Agreed." A preppy blonde said. "Maybe I can take her place."

"NO!" I yelled. "Gabriella is the best dancer in the school. Though she can't walk, she can still be there to support us. Therefore she will still be captain, coaching us from the sides." The girls nodded, some of them embarrassed that they just wanted to kick Gabriella out. I looked around to see Chad looking down, a pale look on his face.

He was unusually silent.

"Chad?" I asked gently. He looked up at me, and instantly I saw the tears that had begun to build.

"She doesn't deserve this."

"There's nothing we can do about it."

"It terrible! I'm terrible!" He crumbled to the ground, wrapping his arms around his knees and letting his tears out. The school was shocked to see their king cracking and breaking down in the middle of the hallway.

This was the weakest I had even seen Chad.

"It's not your fault Chad." Taylor said gently as she crouched down beside him. I bent down beside him on the other side.

"It's not like you caused the car accident." I added.

"It's not that. I've been a terrible person to Gabriella. When she first came here and started his bickering with Troy, I encouraged it. I lied to his about things that Gabriella said so that he would continue on with the argument. Truthfully, I had figured out that Troy liked Gabriella at least a year ago, but tried to keep them apart."

"You didn't want the social order to crumble." Zeke commented.

"That's not a reason to make two people's lives miserable. Gabriella must have had a terrible life, with her father dying, and then it became worse when she got here. If I hadn't interfered, maybe her and Troy would have found each other sooner. What's worse is Gabriella's life just keeps going downhill." Chad sighed, wiping his tears away with her hands.

"You're really broken up because of this." I commented.

"I know. Which makes me think about how Troy is feeling. I mean ever since they have gotten together, she has become his world. He refuses to leave her side until she gets better. Together, they must be going through hell."

"Sort of like they have been in school too." Taylor said looking down. Chad began fiddling with his fingers.

"We haven't made it any easier for them, have we?" he said.

"Nope."

"Well, we should do something about it." I said.

"Like what?" asked a blonde dancer. I looked at Chad, who raised his head and looked at me with understanding evident on his face.

"We have to stop the tension and problems at school." He said.

"And how exactly are we supposed to do that?" Jason asked.

"Stop the war." I said. Chad nodded his head in agreement.

"We have to stop fighting and dividing the school." He added.

"Then what will we be." Zeke asked.

"One student body. A group of people who all get together and help one another instead of fighting and backstabbing one another. We have to create a peaceful environment for Gabriella instead of a tense one, so that she can finally have a memorable, happy high school experience."

"Can we really do that?" a voice asked from the crowd.

"Of course." Samantha said.

"How?"

"It's we're a team." I said.

"Which we are." Chad added as he stuck out his hand. I grasped it tightly and we shook hands. "Truce?"

"Truce." I said. The school began cheering, everyone hugging one another.

"WHAT TEAM?" Chad yelled loudly.

"WILDCATS!" I cheered back with the rest of the school.

"WHAT TEAM?"

"WILDCATS."

"WILDCATS?"

"GET YOUR HEAD IN THE GAME!" As the cheering surrounded me, a smile graced my face.

Things were going to be different in the school.

The war had ended.

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**AN: Again, sorry for the lack of updates. The next chapter will be the epilogue of the story, and will show Gabriella's reaction to the school ending the war, and where she and Troy are now.**

**So please, review if you want it to come out!**

**Xoxo,**

**Lar**

**Ps. Don't forget to take part in my poll!**


	26. Epilogue

**Chapter 25 – Epilogue**

**AN: Hey guys! Thank you very much for the reviews for last chapter! I really appreciated that a lot!**

**Well, this is the epilogue to my story and I have to say that I am sad to see it go. However, the storyline was beginning to drag out and I noticed that people were starting to lack interest in the story. It was finally time to end it. **

**I am so happy with how this story ended up, and I am so very happy that you guys are enjoying it. I am also very thankful to all of the people who reviewed the story, supported me while writing it and helped give me ideas as to what should come. I couldn't have written this story without your support, and I thank you all so much for it. I love all of you guys so much.**

**  
And so, as one final goodbye to this story, I would really appreciate if all of you reviewed and told me what you thought of this story. I will not be starting a new story until "Fate Works In Strange Ways" is finished, but keep your eyes out because the next story will be really good!**

**And so, read the last chapter of my story and enjoy it.**

**I love all of you so much! **

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**Troy's P.O.V**

I watched in pride as Gabriella wheeled her wheelchair up the ramp to receive her diploma. Her face beamed with joy, her smile brightening up the entire auditorium. The audience clapped and cheered for her when Principle Matsui presented her with the diploma. Random shouts of "I Love you Gabriella" and "Gabriella you're my idol" could be heard sporadically through the crowd. I look to the front row to see my parents with tears in their eyes, as well as Gabriella's mom.

Today, we graduate.

It had been four months since Gabriella the tragic day Gabriella was in the car accident. Four months since they said that she would never walk again.

And in those four months, a lot of things had changed.

Unfortunately, after months of rehab, Gabriella still had yet to walk again. She went to therapy two times a week, and I was always there by her side.

The main change had been in school. I can still remember the day that Gabriella and I first entered the hallway after her accident.

_Begin Flashback_

"_Troy I'm scared." Gabriella whispered as I pushed her up the ramp towards the main school building._

"_Don't worry. Anybody tries to mess with you, and they have to deal with me."_

"_I just don't think I can handle all of the whispers and rumours."_

"_I hope that doesn't happen." I got to the front doors. "Are you ready?" _

"_As ready as I'll ever be. Let's just get this over with." She said in a determined tone._

"_That's my girl." I said, bending down and kissing the top of her head gently. She looked up at me and smiled._

_  
"Thanks Troy. I don't think I could do this without you by my side."_

"_There's nowhere else I'd rather be." I answered. I opened the door to the school, and froze in shock as I looked down the hallway._

_The entire student body was gathered in front of us, all smiling and clapping when they saw Gabriella. A large sign was hung from the ceiling._

_**Welcome Back Gabriella**_

"_What's going on?" Gabriella asked me. I just shrugged._

"_I honestly have no clue." Up in front of us I saw two familiar people standing. The blonde was smiling and waving as the curly-haired brunette held out a small gift. The two were side-by-side, with no anger on their faces._

_The king and queen were getting along._

_I wheeled Gabriella forward towards Sharpay and Chad. Sharpay instantly ran forward hugging Gabriella tightly. Chad then came and patted her on the shoulder comfortingly._

"_Uh…what's going on?" Gabriella asked timidly._

"_What do you mean?" Sharpay asked._

"_You guys are…associating with one another."_

"_So?" Chad said._

"_What happened to the whole 'both sides can never get along' thing?" I asked._

"_We ended it. You guys didn't deserve it, and it was causing too many problems than it was preventing. We decided it would be best to end the war going on in the school before it got out of hand." Sharpay explained, as if it was the simplest answer._

"_So… no more fighting?" Gabriella said. _

"_Nope. You showed us that there is no point in fighting."_

"_Me?" _

"_Yes. You helped change the school Gabriella."_

_End Flashback_

And change the school did.

There were no longer any rivalries going on between the students. Not ever cliques were in place. The school became one student body, one group of friends, one family. You didn't have to worry about who you sat with at lunch, who you talked to in class, who you dated.

The school was finally at peace.

After all of the students had been called up to receive their diplomas, Principle Matsui walked forward to the microphone.

"Well, this particular set of students had to endure quite a bit during their time here. Fortunately, they survived it all and have since become a strong family. And so, I would like to present to you the valedictorian of this year. This student has overcome things that many won't in a lifetime. She is an important person in the school community, and has changed the school forever. Please welcome to the stage, Miss Gabriella Montez." I cheered loudly as Gabriella wheeled herself towards the shortened microphone set up for her. She smiled at the crowd, before beginning her speech.

"When I first came to East High, I didn't exactly start out on good terms with some of the students. These feuds seemed to just escalate and escalate until they finally turned the school into a battleground for a war that didn't seem like it was going to end. At one point, it looked like the school was never going to find peace. In one day, the school was flipped upside down." I looked up at her, encouraging her with my smile. She sighed, smiled gently at me, and nodded.

"To cut the story short, the kidnapping of two students seemed to bring enemies of the school together for at least a short period of time. However once the two students were safe again, the tension in the school seemed to increase even more. Then, unfortunately, a tragic accident finally managed to bring out school back together."

"Our school no longer has cliques, or enemies, or divisions. Our school has become one student body, one group, and one family. We are all friends, leaving nobody out. The war has finally been finished, a peace treaty being signed by the two sides. No longer do you see death glares and fighting in the hallways, but instead giggling and laughter. The school has changed forever, because we have finally learned how to get along with one another."

"As we move forward in our lives, each and every one of us will remember the time spent here together, particularly the last few months. We'll leave this door once last time, on to our futures, but a part of us will always remain with this school. This school has build the foundation for our futures, and taught us valuable."

"Personally, I will miss walking through these hallways and standing in the gym cheering on for the basketball team." I winked at her as she said this and she giggled. "However, our time here is finally coming to a close. It is time to move on, but we will always cherish the valuable time that we spend here, together."

"And so, it is with great honour that I present to all of you, the East High Graduating class of 2009." Cheers erupted from the audience as students threw their graduation caps in the air and hugged the students next to them. I was instantly out of my seat, running up the stairs and swiftly hugging Gabriella close to me.

"You did it." I whispered.

"We. We did it." She said smiling. I kissed her tenderly on the lips, not caring that my mother was probably videotaping.

"I have a present for you." I told her, reaching into my back pocket and pulling out a small ring box. "I know that it is cliché, but since this is the first day of our futures, I want to start it out right." I got down on my knee, Gabriella's hand swiftly coming up to her mouth as she gasped. "Gabriella Montez, will you marry me?"

"Yes." She whispered back, leaning forward and attempting to hug me, even with her wheelchair in the way. I took the ring out of the box and put it on her finger, kissing it after I secured it in place.

"Thank you." I said gently, before pecking her on the lips.

"I have something for you as well." She told me. I looked at her curiously.

"You shouldn't have bought me – " she placed her lips gently on mine, shushing me.

"It's not a physical gift. More something I want to show you."

"Okay…" I said curiously. Gabriella leaned back in her chair, motioning for me to take a couple of steps backwards. I did as she asked, and watched as she put her hands tightly on the sides of the wheelchair. The muscles in her arms tensed up as she pushed down on her arms, lifting herself up from the wheelchair.

"Brie…" I said. "What are you doing?" Gabriella ignored me, and let go of the wheelchair.

She was standing.

Tears filled my eyes at the sight before me.

"Open your arms." Gabriella instructed. I did as told, and watched as she shakily moved her foot forward, taking a step. As soon as her foot came down and connected with the ground, she stumbled forward and into my arms. I held her tightly, speechless at what I had just witnessed.

"Y…you walked." I said, not caring that I looked like a fool with tears streaming down my cheeks.

"Surprise." Gabriella spoke softly. I kissed Gabriella square on the lips.

"How? When?"

"I booked extra lessons with the therapist, and worked every night on building up muscles in my legs and arms. Two weeks ago I managed to stand on my own, but I wanted to surprise you."

"I can't believe it! You actually stood!" Gabriella beamed.

"I know!" I lifted Gabriella spinning her in the air.

"I'm so proud of you Gabriella. You did this all on your own."

"You're wrong. You helped me more than you think. You were always there for me, supporting me and caring for me. You didn't abandon me when I needed help, and instead you stayed by my side. You did anything you could to help me. Honestly Troy, I don't think I would have gotten through it without you." I held her tightly in my arms.

"To think, we used to hate each other."

"I'm so glad we stopped that." She said into my shirt.

"Me too Brie, me too."

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Gabriella was on a process to recovery.

By standing today, she has taken a huge step in her process towards walking again. She showed that she can overcome what the doctors said would be impossible, and will one day walk again.

And I will be there right by her side.

What I never realized was that through Gabriella, I have become a new person.

A better person.

I used to think of myself as a prince, a perfect person. I would never consider any other person's opinions by my own, controlling and ruling the school.

Truthfully, I was a bully. A jerk. An egotistical basketball jock.

A cruel person.

If somebody had told me that I would fall in love a year ago, I would have laughed in his or her face.

Me, fall in love?

However, you can never predict what is going to happen in the future. I did fall in love, with the most amazing person in the world. A person who completes me, who understand me, and who if perfect for me in every way.

Gabriella Montez.

Who would have imagined that I would have fallen in love with my worst enemy?

A worst enemy that I have been kidnapped with, shunned with and gotten over so many obstacles with.

I have been through so much with Gabriella, but each obstacle we had to overcome just made us stronger.

I also learned a valuable lesson.

Love Doesn't Come Smoothly.

It takes work, trust, and strength. It requires you to wish the absolute best on the other person, helping them with everything that they need, and sticking with them no matter what happens. It requires supporting one another through everything; encouraging them and helping them become better people.

It requires a solid, strong bond.

It does in fact seem that love doesn't always come smoothly.

But what is important is that when it finally does come along, it will never leave you. It will remain unconditional and everlasting, bringing you closer to the other person and letting your bond grow tighter and tighter. It will complete you, make you a better person, and give you a good life.

It will lead you to True Love.

And True love, felt equally by both hearts that have been joined together, only comes around once in a lifetime.


End file.
